A Woman, a Man, a Nation: Mariquita Sánchez, Juan Manuel de Rosas, and the Beginnings of Argentina (Diálogos Series)

In 1837 Mariquita Sánchez de Mendeville was so fed up with governor Juan Manuel de Rosas that she chose to leave her beloved city of Buenos Aires. Leaving was especially hard because Mariquita felt that she had played an influential role in transforming Buenos Aires from a Spanish colonial outpost into a brilliant capital in a world of republics. Juan Manuel de Rosas's version of order alienated Mariquita, who chose self-imposed exile in Montevideo over living under Rosas's stifling rule. The struggle went on for nearly two decades until Mariquita finally came home for good in 1852 while Rosas went into exile. Mariquita's and Juan Manuel's lives corresponded with the major events and processes that shaped the turbulent beginnings of the Argentine nation, many of which also shaped Latin America and the Atlantic World during the Age of Revolution (1750-1850). Their lives provide an overarching narrative for Argentine history that both scholars and students will find intriguing. Dedication 8 Contents 10 List of Illustrations 12 Acknowledgements 14 Introduction: Mariquita and Juan Manuel 20 1 Growing Up in the Viceroyalty of Buenos Aires 35 2 Marriage 53 3 The English Invasions 69 4 Buenos Aires in the Age of Revolution 87 5 The Struggle for Independence 111 6 The Anarchy of 1820 122 7 Mariquita and the “Happy Experience” of the 1820s 137 8 The Tumultuous Year of 1829 154 9 Mariquita and Juan Manuel Part Ways 172 10 The Rosas Regime under Fire 203 11 Mature Exile and Mature Tyranny 230 12 New Beginnings and New Ends 249 Epilogue: Mariquita and Juan Manuel in Argentine History and Imagination 272 Glossary 286 Notes 292 Works Cited 326 Index 342 In 1837 Mariquita Sanchez de Mendeville was so fed up with governor Juan Manuel de Rosas that she chose to leave her beloved city of Buenos Aires. Juan Manuel de Rosas's version of order alienated Mariquita, who chose self-imposed exile. Their lives provide an overarching narrative for Argentine history for both scholars and students.