Tucumán Province

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Lore & Background

The United Provinces of the Río de la Plata declared independence on July 9, 1816, at the Congress of Tucumán. The declaration used the name "United Provinces in South America" (Spanish: Provincias Unidas en Sud-América), probably chosen because it was a more encompassing name, and the borders of the new state were not clear yet. The state that succeeded the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata in 1810 used different names depending on political interests and common usage. The name "United Provinces of the Río de la Plata" was officially adopted by the First Triumvirate on 22 November 1811, in the 1811 Provisional Statute. It became the most common name during the War of Independence and is recognised as an alternative name of the state according to Article 35 of the Constitution of Argentina, although it is not used in practice. The name "Argentina" gained popularity during the 1820s thanks to the drafting and approval of the 1826 constitution, although United Provinces of the Río de la Plata continued to be the most common name for the State. After the 1831 Federal Pact, the name Argentina as part of Argentine Confederation began to be widely spread. The name "Argentine Republic" (Spanish: República Argentina) was officially adopted by the 1826 constitution. However, in 1827, the constitution stopped being applied. Nowadays, it is the most common official name used by Argentina.

Reader's Guide

Tucumán Province is the site of the Congress of Tucumán, which on July 9, 1816, declared the independence of the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata from Spain. The declaration used the name "United Provinces in South America" (Spanish: Provincias Unidas en Sud-América). This name was probably chosen because it was a more encompassing name, and the borders of the new state were not clear yet. The name was also used in the Argentine Constitution of 1819. The state that succeeded the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata in 1810 used different names depending on political interests and common usage. The name "Provinces of the Río de la Plata" (Spanish: Provincias del Río de la Plata) made its first appearance in a public edict written on the night of 25 May 1810 by the Primera Junta and proclaimed the next day. The name "United Provinces of the Río de la Plata" (Spanish: Provincias Unidas del Río de la Plata) was officially adopted by the First Triumvirate on 22 November 1811, in the 1811 Provisional Statute. It became the most common name during the War of Independence and is recognised as an alternative name of the state according to Article 35 of the Constitution of Argentina, although it is not used in practice. The name "United Provinces of the South" (Spanish: Provincias Unidas del Sud) was used in the Argentine National Anthem ("Marcha patriótica"), composed in 1813, but was not used in official documents. The name "United Provinces in South America" (Spanish: Provincias Unidas en Sud-América) appears in the Argentine Declaration of Independence of 1816. The name "United Provinces of South America" (Spanish: Provincias Unidas de Sud-América) can be seen in the letter of marque from 1817. The name "Republic of the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata" (Spanish: República de las Provincias Unidas del Río de la Plata) was used in a document written by Buenos Aires Governor Juan Gregorio de las Heras in response to the Empire of Brazil, which had declared war on the United Provinces due to the annexation of the Oriental Province. It was adopted to emphasise republicanism in contrast to Brazil, which was a monarchy. The name "Argentina" comes from argentinus, which means "related to silver" (argentum) in Latin. It first appeared in 1602 in the poem La Argentina written by Martín del Barco Centenera, for referring the Río de la Plata, which literally translates into English as "River of the Silver". It gained popularity during the 1820s thanks to the drafting and approval of the 1826 constitution, although United Provinces of the Río de la Plata continued to be the most common name for the State. After the 1831 Federal Pact, the name Argentina as part of Argentine Confederation began to be widely spread. The name "Argentine Republic" (Spanish: República Argentina) was officially adopted by the 1826 constitution. However, in 1827, the constitution stopped being applied. Nowadays, it is the most common official name used by Argentina. The name "Argentine Confederation" (Spanish: Confederación Argentina) was a widely used name after the Federal Pact, although it was used before. It is also one of Argentina’s official names according to Article 35.

Did You Know?

• The Congress of Tucumán declared independence on July 9, 1816, using the name "United Provinces in South America" (Spanish: Provincias Unidas en Sud-América).
• The name "United Provinces of the Río de la Plata" was officially adopted by the First Triumvirate on 22 November 1811, in the 1811 Provisional Statute.
• The name "Argentina" first appeared in 1602 in the poem La Argentina written by Martín del Barco Centenera, for referring the Río de la Plata.
• The name "Argentine Republic" (Spanish: República Argentina) was officially adopted by the 1826 constitution, but stopped being applied in 1827.
• The name "Argentine Confederation" (Spanish: Confederación Argentina) is one of Argentina’s official names according to Article 35 of the Constitution of Argentina.