Imperial Memories and Modern Vistas: Spain and Argentina in the Centennial Celebration of Independence in Buenos Aires, May, 1910

Argentina’s centenario celebrated independence, modernity, and nationalism through parades, monuments, exhibitions, and publications, which together formed an official historical narrative. Centennial commissioners privileged governing elites’ success in recent decades in civilizing the interior provinces inhabited by ”savage” Indians and “barbarous” caudillos, and in fashioning a Europeanized nation based on modern institutions, economic prosperity, and high culture. The centenario honored independence era heroes with statues, showcased the nation’s economic expansion with agricultural and transportation exhibitions, and displayed cultural sophistication with art exhibitions and urban beautification.

                  The official narrative, however, did not go uncontested. Economic growth had been fueled in recent decades by massive European immigration, primarily from Italy and Spain, and immigrants’ place in Argentine society and politics remained uncertain. They rarely became citizens and they lived more in conflict than in harmony with elites.

                  Immigrants sought to improve their working and living conditions by joining trade unions, most of which embraced either anarchist or socialist philosophies.  On the eve of the centenary, unions threatened to organize a general strike that would disrupt the celebration, unless the government repealed anti-immigrant legislation and released political prisoners. The ensuing conflict demonstrated the need to integrate workers and immigrants into the political system.

                  Despite the threat of violence, Argentina’s centenario captured the imagination of the global community. European and Latin American nations sent official delegations that included Isabel de Borbón from Spain. The Infanta’s presence re-affirmed Spain’s cultural and historical ties with Argentina, and allowed a member of the royal family to interact with Argentina’s large Spanish community.

In Spain, the Argentine centenary provoked spirited political commentary. Monarchists used the Infanta’s warm reception to bolster the regime’s prestige, while republicans compared Argentina favorably to Spain, and saluted the Argentines for achieving independence.