A History of Nationhood, Religion, and War in Nineteenth- Century Paraguay, 1850-1870
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Sacred Cause, Divine Republic: A History of Nationhood, Religion, and War in Nineteenth- Century Paraguay, 1850-1870 Michael Kenneth Huner A dissertation submitted to the faculty of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of History. Chapel Hill 2011 Approved By Professor John Charles Chasteen Professor Kathryn Burns Professor John French Professor Jocelyn Olcott Professor Christopher Lee © 2011 Michael Kenneth Huner ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ii ABSTRACT MICHAEL KENNETH HUNER: Sacred Cause, Divine Republic: A History of Nationhood, Religion, and War in Nineteeth-Century Paraguay, 1850-1870. “Under the direction of Professor John Charles Chasteen.” Nineteenth-century Paraguay was a provincial backwater of the shattered Spanish colonial empire, a country that had forged its independence under the rule of autocrats, a country where most people spoke Guaraní, a vernacular of indigenous origins. From 1864 to 1870, Paraguay went to war with the Triple Alliance of Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay. The conflict left Paraguay occupied by foreign armies and devastated with over half its population lost. This dissertation explores a history of state formation, religion, and war in the country before and during this catastrophic time. In particular, the dissertation reflects on how colonial religion helped to produce formative experiences of modern nationhood and citizenship. Conventional interpretations of Latin American history still generally regard the consolidation of nation-states as a starkly secular development. This study questions that formulation and considers how clergy and institutional practices of the Church actually articulated early expressions of nationhood. The dissertation follows how years before the conflict the ruling autocratic regime in the country revived the provincial church and its traditional moral order as recovered vestiges of Spanish imperial sovereignty and reassembled them within a framework of postcolonial republican rule. The sort of pious submission once demanded of royal subjects increasingly defined the rights and duties of republican citizenship. Divine-right mandates and popular sovereignty merged as the ideological foundation of political authority. Moreover fulfilling the sacred obligations of the iii patriarchal family surged as the primary manifestation of civic virtue. The conflation of values old and new made modern ideas of the republic profoundly, and often painfully, familiar in the everyday lives of Paraguayans. This dissertation thus contends that postcolonial Paraguayans—mostly illiterate, Guaraní-speaking peasants—confronted in their lives a peculiar strain of republican nationalism steeped in religion and articulated in their own language. And, it argues, this engagement pushed them to struggle to extraordinary lengths during the war. The sources utilized range from sermons and local government correspondence, to judicial records of ecclesiastical divorce and suicide, as well as Guaraní- language propaganda produced by the state during the war. iv To Leti and the boys, and Mom and Dad. And to the memories of Eldor Huner, Margaret Huner, and Barbara Laplante. v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS My graduate career was one of many years, and I have incurred many debts of gratitude along the way. The Deparment of History at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill provided fundamental financial support and priceless teaching opportunities to make for a successful run. The Insitute for the Study of the Americas (formerly ILAS) at UNC-CH has also been a backbone of financial support over the years. Numerous Foreign Language and Area Studies fellowships (from the US Department of Education, facilitated through ISA) made dissertation research and language-study trips to Asunción, Paraguay possible, as did support from the UNC-CH Graduate School. An Institute for International Education Fulbright Fellowship allowed me to be introduced me to the world of Paraguay and explore its archives for the first time. A host of family and friends in Paraguay made the years that I have spent there some of the best times of my life. Dr. Ignacio Telesca offered his friendship, help, insight, and countless hours of intriguing conversation over terreré and beer while there. A wonderful scholar and person, he has been an invaluable friend and intellectual guide. Other scholars in Paraguay whose help I value include: Margarita Durán, Ramon Rolandi, Ana María Arguello, Milda Rivarola, Juan Bautista Rivarola, Adelina Pussineri. The staff at the Archivo Nacional de Asunción always welcomed me with warmth and offered guidance during my vi long hours researching there. I recognize especially the help of archivists Darío Solís and the late, great Aníbal Solís. The staff at the Biblioteca Nacional de Asunción were also exceedingly gracious helping a yanqui in their midst. Rosa María Aurelia Marecos de Cáceres facilitated with kindness my morning hours working in the Archivo de la Arquidiócesis de Asunción. Profesor Juan Alberto Cáceres, taught me Guaraní at IDELGUAP, Universidad Evangélica in Asunción. His patience and encouragement for a stiff-tounged North American were remarkable. I thereby learned more Guaraní and subtleties of Paraguayan life from numerous in-laws and close friends. Their love and assistance also need recognition. I thank Francisco, Sonia, Evelyn, Tota, Humberto, Juan Carlos, Humberto Luis, Piti, as well as the entire López family, “Lechu,” “Tere,” and the rest of los perros . The Battionis were the first to open their home to a naïve North American graduate in Paraguay, and they remain at the heart of my ever-expanding Paraguayan family. Friends from graduate school gave me so much, in terms of intellectual development and relationships that have enriched my life. William Acree was always there for me and remains so. I also cherish the friendships of Devyn Spence-Benson, Patrick O’Neil and Gina Difino, Joshua Nadel, David Carlson, Laura Premack, Greg Kaliss, William Wisser, Jeff Richey, Kathryn French-Fuller, Lissi Lotz, Reena Goldthree, Enver Casimir, Philip Stetzel, Mike Smith, and numerous others. Karen Racine first inspired me to study Latin American history at Valparaiso University. It altered my life forever. At Valparaiso Colleen Seguin, Alan Bloom, and Charles Schaeffer also offered their inspiration and mentorship. Thomas Whigham got me started in the world of Paraguayan history. I would not be where I am without his help offered with such generosity years ago. His words, work, and writing remain an inspiration. The teaching and vii advice of Jocelyn Olcott, John French, Kathryn Burns, and Louis Pérez during my graduate career at UNC-CH proved formative for my thinking and approach to history and research. Chris Lee taught me most I know about Africa and much about the life of a young scholar that awaits me. John Chasteen has proven the consumate advisor, writing guide, and friend. He is my academic “Dad.” I come from a large family, and it is impossible to list all who have left a revered imprint on my life and offered endless support. I recognize my grandparents, Roger and Carrie Macke, whose examples of love are paramount. My brothers Matthew, Monroe, and Mitchell have been there to buy beers, supply laughs, and forward their affection. My parents, Ken and Kim Huner, have made everything possible and asked for nothing in return. I dedicate this dissertation, in part, to them. Leticia Sánchez, somewhat unwittingly, decided to join me on this journey. It was much more than both of us implicitly bargained for or expected. We have had two beautiful children along the way, Tiago and Juan. Our journey now continues to unknown destinations, and I can never pay back what all three have given me so far. A mere dedication of a dissertation is cheap recompense. viii TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Abbreviations……………………………………………………………………………..xi Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………..1 Chapter 1: Ñane Retã…………………………………………………………………………….17 Frontier Society…………………………………………………………………………..23 The Example of Salvador………………………………………………………………...53 Chapter 2: Church and State Formation.........................................................................................79 Suicide and Taxes………………………………………………………………………..81 Making a National Church………………………………………………………….......102 Chapter 3: Priests and Parishioners, Household and State……………………………………..127 Magistrates of the Sacred and the State………………………………………………...129 Household and State……………………………………………………………………145 Chapter 4: Divine-Right Republicanism………………………………………………………..169 Congresses and Elections………………………………………………………………170 Exacting Consent……………………………………………………………………….186 Chapter 5: Sacred Cause, Republican War……………………………………………………..219 Sacred Cause…………………………………………………………………………....221 Republican War………………………………………………………………………...244 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………………...277 ix Bibliography………………………………………………………………………………….285 x LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS Archival Sources AAA: Archivo de la Arquidiócesis de Asunción ANA: Archivo Nacional de Asunción SH: Sección Historia SCJ: Sección Civil y Judicial SNE: Sección Nueva Encuardanación CRB: Colección Río Branco BNA: Biblioteca Nacional de Asunción CO-PGB: Colección O’Leary-Papeles de Gregorio Benítez xi INTRODUCTION This dissertation explores the history of a somewhat remote place and time: Paraguay during the mid-nineteenth-century. Paraguay had been a colonial backwater of the Río de la Plata region of South