Antonio Somellera: un testimonio de violencia política en tiempos de Rosas (1838-1840)

Abstract

The work published towards the end of the XIX century by the Commodore Antonio Somellera (1812-1889) under the name Memories of a victim of the “Mazorca”, is a most valuable historical document in order to analyze the facts and ideas that determined many of the aspects of the political life of the moment at which it talks about, the government of Juan Manuel de Rosas in Buenos Aires during 1838-1840. It expresses very well one of the most controversial elements of the country’s history: the political violence, physical as discursive, that were accustomed all the men whom commanded, as well as government or opposition, the destinies of Argentina. Making a contextualized and deep analysis of these Memories, the present work will look for explain some of the structural aspects that characterized the political reality of those years.