By Mr. Héctor F. Peralta Puy.
The events of May, which initially occurred in the Buenos Aires City Council, had repercussions on the institutional aspects of the rest of the municipalities of the Río de la Plata. The people of Buenos Aires obtained support and rejection for what they had done on the 25th and the previous days, which produced a division in the Santiago political community.
The events were formally announced in the Santiago del Estero Town Hall on June 10, through the official letters corresponding to the resolutions of the 27th and 29th.
Likewise, obedience to the First Board was agreed on the 29th, after the arrival of the approved communications from Salta, that is, from the capital of the Government.
Given the documentation known in June, Juan Francisco Borges expressed his support for revolutionary actions. From those moments, the crusader knight was confronted for a new cause with the traditional families of the council, which generated political consequences, since he was not chosen as a deputy in the elections held on July 2. Given this, he sent a letter to the Board with complaints against his political enemies and with demonstrations in favor of what was done on May 25.
Ideas and debates about the development of the process began to emerge among the representatives of the elites of the different jurisdictions, regarding centralism and the powers of the councils, as institutions dependent on higher organizations.
In this regard, Juan Ignacio de Gorriti expressed, in the Junta Grande during the session of May 4, 1811, that “…he has not only put the provincial capitals in a state of collecting all the fruit that was desired, but also giving an importance that they did not have, are capable of aggrandizing themselves at the expense of the oppression of the subordinates, while these have been subjected to a servitude that they did not have, and have received a much heavier chain that oppressed them under the former governors. Gorriti’s words represent a denunciation and the political claim of the interior councils, which began to see themselves subjugated in their political and economic actions, based on what was done by the capitals and the successive central governments, as a consequence (one of them ) of the battles fought in the north. Then, from the May Revolution itself and with other intentions, thoughts of sovereignty and federalism arose, as ideas propagated from the North and the Coast, against centralism and in rejection of “servitude” and the “oppression” suffered. by the subordinate councils.
For his part, Borges rejected the interventions of the central government, carried out in the elections where the Santiago capitulars were chosen. This was exposed in 1811, before he had been elected deputy procurator to the General Assembly, a position that was subsequently annulled by the First Triumvirate and the growing influence of
Bernardino Rivadavia, due to his political demonstrations
Borges’s ideas arose again towards the following year, more precisely on January 22, when he wrote in a letter the word “sovereignty”, in reference to the freedom that the councils had to deal with their own affairs, although always respecting the superiority of the central governments. The document expresses the following: “This is how I understand it should be in favor of justice, the union, freedom and security that now govern our united peoples, keeping Your Excellency the superiority of everything, but always preserving the sovereignty that corresponds to each one for himself, to deal with his exclusive rights”.
We observed then that the May Revolution had not only focused on the question of separation or dependence on Spain, but had also extended the reasons for local councils to administer their own jurisdictions, which would culminate years later with the declarations of the autonomies and with the emergence of new provinces.
We emphasize that the political expressions of Juan Francisco Borges were important for the cause of Mayo, although his other contribution was represented from the military aspect, since his experiences as a strategist and as a soldier were reflected in the creation of an armed body, which had men awarded for their performances in the battles of the Northern Army. In this regard, Borges informed the central government, on August 28, 1810, that he had created the “Companías de Patricios de Santiago del Estero” (known by society as Patricios Santiagueños). This armed body was made up of 317 men, militiamen and volunteers, who were equipped at the expense of Borges himself, who received thanks from the Junta on September 21.
The Patricios Companies of Santiago del Estero were organized with Francisco Severo Ávila as senior assistant (of the Regulated Volunteer Corps) and with Dr. Manuel de Ispizúa as chaplain, while the three divisions were led by a captain, a lieutenant and an ensign. or cadet. In addition, the armed forces were made up of the first and second sergeants, the drummer, the first and second corporals and their respective soldiers.
In accordance with the order imposed by its creator, at the head of the First Company were Captain Manuel del Castaño, Lieutenant Gregorio Ignacio Iramain (Borges’s nephew) and Ensign Agustín Medina (Borges’s relative on his wife Catalina’s side).
On the other hand, the superiority of the Second Company was made up of Captain Pedro Díaz Gallo, Lieutenant Juan Bautista López de Velazco (a relative of Ibarra through his father’s branch) and Ensign Pedro José Cumulat. Meanwhile, Captain Pedro Pablo Gorostiaga (Borges’ first cousin and autonomist in 1820), Lieutenant Domingo Cainzo and Ensign Juan Felipe Ibarra (relative of Borges’ wife through the Medina and Montalvo lineage) were the leaders of the Third Company. Among the records of the soldiers we find Pedro Domingo Isnardi Corvalán y Castilla, Juan Gregorio Salvatierra, José Mariano de la Plaza, Ramón Olivera, Pedro Luna, Santiago Lince, José María Espinoza, Sebastián Herrera, José María Alvarado, Bernabé Ríos, Esteban Jugo , José Coronel, Manuel Besares, Luis Beltrán Martínez, Alonso Araujo, Juan José Jiménez, Rafael Riesco de los Ríos, Lorenzo Lugones and Lorenzo Goncebat, among hundreds of other Patricios from Santiago del Estero who contributed to the revolutionary cause.
To organize the main men of the three divisions, Borges’ strategies directed recruitment towards his relatives (close and distant) and members of the commercial, livestock, agricultural, political and military elite. The uses of family and social relationships were the highlighted resources through an action used to achieve the formation of an armed group representative of the military and political objectives of its creator and of Santiago society, in adherence to the revolutionary process. Likewise, there were other members of the elite as soldiers, in addition to members of the lower strata or subaltern sectors, both urban and rural.
The Patricios and the rest of the battalions, arriving from Buenos Aires and Córdoba, left from Santiago del Estero the day Borges presented the document titled “Relation of the Plazas that make up the three Companies of Patricios of Santiago del Estero in the Auxiliary Army “, that is, on October 19, 1810. On that date the troops headed towards Tucumán, although Borges later went carrying some textile products to market in Upper Peru, taking advantage of the security provided by the soldiers.
But the crusader knight, who marched with the rank of lieutenant colonel of the Patricios (awarded by Francisco Antonio Ortiz de Ocampo, from Córdoba), was separated from the Auxiliary Army of Upper Peru by an order from Juan José Castelli, issued on the 28th of November from Potosí, due to the conflicts that arose in Jujuy with Ortiz de Ocampo. In this way, Borges was forced to return to Santiago del Estero, without entering into combat with his men, while Ortiz de Ocampo was stripped of his command.
Due to the short distance, the delays and the conflicts that occurred in the camp established in Jujuy, the Patricians did not participate in the rejection and defeat that the patriots had in the fields of Cotagaita, under the command of Antonio González Balcarce. This defeat occurred on October 27, after a confrontation that lasted more than four hours. As a consequence, the members of the Auxiliary Army retreated 24 leagues to the south, where they reorganized their positions again. However, the victory achieved on November 7 – on the banks of the Suipacha River – was the necessary step for the army on its way to Upper Peru, since the territories of Potosí, Chuquisaca and La Paz were secured. After the Battle of Suipacha, the Patricios of Santiago del Estero began to be distributed in the companies of the Northern Army.
