A Tribute to "La Capitana", the Afro-Argentine Who Fought for Independence
HISTORY A TRIBUTE TO "LA CAPITANA", THE AFRO-ARGENTINE WHO FOUGHT FOR INDEPENDENCE María Remedios del Valle, called "La Capitana" and "The Mother of the Nation". Illustration by Eleonora Kortsarz. The new century was just beginning and the According to the census data carried out by Juan atmosphere in the homeland was one of José de Vértiz y Salcedo in 1778, Afro- independence. She, "La Capitana", did not descendants in the city of Buenos Aires made up hesitate to defend her land in 1807, when the 30% of the total population, that barely exceeded English invaded the coasts of Buenos Aires for 24,000 inhabitants. Most of them were the second time. That was when María Remedios concentrated in the neighborhoods of San Telmo del Valle began to write her own story of liberation and Monserrat, where they created handicrafts and bravery. for sale. The rest of this population was registered mainly in the provinces with high Registered in the parish records as "parda" agricultural production, such as Santiago del (brown-skinned), as established by the colonial Estero, Catamarca, Córdoba and Salta, among caste system, this woman defied a destiny of others. humiliation, misery and oppression, to become an Independence heroine. She was born in the city of María Remedios del Valle was part of a group in Buenos Aires in 1766 or 1767, and according to which many were reduced to servitude, while documents, she had dark skin, her origins were others managed to buy their freedom or escaped. African, and, in addition, she was a woman. Many played an active part against the English 1 HISTORY city, until her luck turned in the mid-1820s, when THE MAJORITY OF AFRO- General Juan José Viamonte recognized her begging in the streets.
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