Argentine Independence Day celebrates Argentina signing its Declaration of Independence from Spain, on July 9, 1816.
Argentine Independence Day
The restoration of King Ferdinand VII to the Spanish throne in 1815 forced the Criollos (America-born Spaniards) to decide whether they would continue on their own or submit again to Spanish rule. After fighting Royalists all over South America, the Argentines chose their own destiny.
Six years after the formation of the first Argentine government on May 25, 1810, the Congress of Tucumán declared independence for the United Provinces of South America which included present day Argentina and Uruguay. The May Revolution of 1810 in Buenos Aires was the beginning of the Argentine War of Independence, and the beginning of the end of Spanish rule in South America. It wasn’t the first revolt, but it was the first revolt that succeeded.
The Argentine Flag
Today’s Argentine flag first flew in 1818. Its name of “El Sol de Mayo,” the May sun, is a reference to the May Revolution of Buenos Aires in 1810. We always thought the colors were about the incredibly blue sky over Argentina. The color of the sky is affected by the angle at which sunlight hits the Earth. However, it may have been a symbol of loyalty to the House of Bourbon, Spanish royalty at the time of Latin American independence movements. The initial independence movement was loyal to the Spanish king instead of the French king imposed on Spain by Napoleon.
It has also been said that the sun is a symbol of Inti, the Inca sun god. The Inca Empire (1438-1572) extended from Ecuador to Chile, including the northwest part of Argentina, so that may be correct. Tucumán, Argentina, where a congress declared independence, is in former Inca lands.
Today most Argentines share an Italian heritage (60%), but Argentina was first Indigenous. Indigenous Argentines are said to have eaten the first European colonizers. Don’t think that Indigenous people were primitive, because they were not. We have been the same humans (Homo sapiens) for about 300,000 years now. Eating defeated warriors was once common around the world. Anyway, the story makes us laugh. Argentines love to make fun of ourselves. Imagine the surprise of thinking you are so superior and then being eaten alive. Maybe we should bring back the tradition. 🤣