URU - 2013 - #016 - SERIE - BICENTENNIAL "INSTRUCCIONES DEL AÑO XIII"

Uruguay - 2013 - Bicentennial of the "Instrucciones del año XIII"

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SERIE --- 1,40 EUR
SERIE [2X2] --- 5,50 EUR
FDC not Sent --- 2,80 EUR
FDC Sent on First Day --- 9,00 EUR
COVER Sent on First Day --- 6,00 EUR

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Issue information:

Country: Uruguay
Date: May 3rd, 2013
Printed: 15.000 copies

Stamp Shape and Size: Rectangular [32 mm. x 47 mm.]
Perforation: Circular
Gum: Water Activated

Block Configuration: 25 stamps [5 x 5]
Block Shape and Size: Rectangular [Unknown Size]

FDC Type: Normal
FDC Shape and Size: Rectangular [165 mm. x 105 mm.]
Cover Shape and Size: Rectangular [241 mm. x 159 mm.]

Catalogue information:

Michel: No Data Available
Ivert: No Data Available
Scott: No Data Available
Stanley & Gibbons: No Data Available

Topics:

Issue:

This stamp commemorates the biccentenial, of what historically was called: "Las instrucciones del Año XIII". This document, a kind of draft or high level ideas in order to build the "Oriental" province, also to get recognized as one by the united provinces of "Río de la Plata", and even more a petition to change the way of goverment of the united provinces to a federal one instead of a central one, was for sure, one of the most relevant milestones in the construction of what is now the country "Uruguay", that issued this stamp, and also very important one in the hole history of Southamerican independence.

The "Instrucciones del Año XIII" is most representative document of the ideology of José Gervasio Artigas, founding father of Uruguay country. It shows, not only what was his idea for the "Oriental" Province, also it presents his vision for all the continent, as a federation of independent provinces.

The desing of the stamp shows mainly a sculpture by the artist Serapio Bernardo Pérez de León, that was built on September 10th of 1958, as a petition to him to represent by his art this event of the history. This sculpture now is placed in the front of the main headquarter of the uruguayan goverment bank "Banco República".

The sculpture, as it could be seen, shows five women, three standing on their feet, with the one on the center raising a flag, supposedly Uruguayan flag, and the other two sitting ahead of the previous one.

Continuing the study of the sculpture, the women raising the flag reveals her right breast, in the style of the paintings and sculpture that represent the french revolution, and also the two women sittng are nude over her waist. Besides these pecularities, and also the existence of a chain on the woman waist, standing at left, none other significative features could be seen, at least from the picture included in the stamp that reproduce the sculpture, that joined the scene represented with the historica milestone being represented. Surely someone with studies in history of art could see the relation, if one that is reading this could help us, giving light here, it will be very appreciated his help.

The final words about the sculpture, is that is accompanied by a large legend at its bottom, probably for people like me that could not figure out all the message in the rest of the sculpture :) , that says the following: "LAS INSTRUCCIONES DEL AÑO XIII PROCLAMAN EL CREDO CÍVICO DE ARTIGAS Y DE SU PUEBLO REUNIDO EN ASAMBLEA SOBERANA", and adds a last line with the words "INDEPENDENCIA REPÚBLICA CONSTITUCIÓN", this legend in english could be translated to: "INSTRUCTIONS OF YEAR XIII PROCLAIMS THE CIVIC CREED OF ARTIGAS AND HIS PEOPLE MEETING IN SOVEREIGN ASSEMBLY", and the last line defines this civic creed as: Independence, Republic, and Constitution.

The stamps also refers to the bicentennial of the country Uruguay, a topic that was largely covered by 8 series in year 2011, when the 200 years of the revolution that builds the country has started. For this reason, the logotype of this celebration, the ribbon that get transformed from Artigas flag colour to Uruguayan flag colours, is included in the stamp.

That series released in 2011 were, in chronological order: The logotype of the bicentennial; The traditional party "Gaucha" in Tacuarembó; The national army; The battle called "Grito de Asencio"; The women of that time in the names of Petrona Rosende y Josefa Oribe; The battle called "Batalla de Las Piedras"; The exodus of the Uruguayan people called "La Redota"; and the last one about the participation of Afro-descendant and Indigenous People in the building of the Uruguayan nation..

The "Instrucciones del año XIII" was the mandate that led the deputies of the "Provincia Oriental", actually Uruguay Country to the National Constituent Assembly of 1813 in the United Provinces of Rio de la Plata. In 1813 the board of Buenos Aires decided to summon all the peoples of United Provinces of Rio de la Plata to send representatives to a meeting to define the type of government for the new nation.

This document defended the concepts of independence, republic, and federalism. It proposed equality, freedom, and security for all the citizens, also that the federal government should be outside Buenos Aires, the free trade between provinces, the right to own guns, and declare free ports both Colonia del Sacramento and Maldonado. Moreover, the document also defined the boundaries of the "Provincia Oriental".

The contents of the document, opposed the draft of a unitary nation led by Carlos Maria de Alvear, director of the United Provinces of Rio de la Plata, and that determined the rejection of the deputies of the "Provincia Oriental", who could not enter the Assembly.

The document expresses the views of Artigas and his inner circle. The wording corresponded undoubtedly to Miguel Barreiro, nephew second of Artigas, and at this time his closest collaborator. While it have been also attributed to José Benito Monterroso, also nephew second and secretary of Artigas or to Damaso Antonio Larranaga, neither of them attended the Congress, as Larrañaga was in Buenos Aires, and Monterroso in Córdoba performing his ecclesiastical studies.

The Federalist thought expressed in the Instructions was the main reason why the deputies of the Provincia Oriental (who were: Mateo Vidal, Felipe Cardoso, Marcos Salcedo, and Francisco Bruno de Rivarola) were rejected on arrival to Buenos Aires, and not allowed to enter the Assembly. However deputies from inside the "Provincia Oriental", Damaso Gomez Fonseca (from Maldonado City), and Damaso Antonio Larranaga (from Montevideo City), had been elected previously and before the Congress of Tres Cruces, where the "Instrucciones del Año XIII" were made, so they were admitted. However, Larrañaga ceded its powers to Tomás García de Zúñiga, a follower of Artigas, who then withdrew to join, and only Gomez Fonseca, that was resident in Buenos Aires, not only particpate in the assemly, also he was vice president of it during the month of May 1813.

The inspiration of the instructions is clearly taken from U.S. legal texts, this is clearly due to the strong influence of American liberalism on Latin American revolution, which seems to have been much stronger than that one from France and his revolution. In some independent works from some different profesors, like Eugenio Petit Muñoz and Ariosto Gonzalez, they have shown to perfection that some paragraphs in the "Instrucciones del Año XIII were taken directly from the work: "The independence of the mainland justified by Thomas Paine, thirty years ago" published by Paine, and the concise history of the United States by John McCulloch, this last one, a book owned by Artigas. The first of the works cited included a lengthy appendix of documents containing the Declaration of Independence of the United States, the Federal Constitution of 1789 and the state constitutions of Massachusetts , New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Virginia. Instructions Clearly therefore had a strong link with the most advanced liberal thought of the time.

As for the material sources or texts models used for drafting the instructions, several U.S. papers and among authors stand Thomas Paine and Jean-Jacques Rousseau.

The approaches proposed by Artigas in the Instructions of year XIII, highly contradicted the political ideology of the leadership of Buenos Aires, which was based on entirely different principles. For this, even in its most lucid and honest liberals elements, the state should be organized according to principles of political hierarchy that contemplates the "natural" social division. That was only possible by establishing a centralized and powerful government, which all provincial governments should be subordinated after a prior participation agreement. For Buenos Aires, the development was only possible in this view, where there was a ruling class provided with powers capable of creating a law fair, balanced, and rational, in which everyone should get to enter this path for progress, culture, and prosperity. This leadership was, of course, arise from the educated class, whose vast majority lived in cities, and especially in Buenos Aires. The city is linked to the current economic, intellectual, and political world that represented "civilization" against the "barbaric" provincial feudal reminiscences that needed precisely "to get civilized" .

Faced with this idea stood the federal vision of Artigas, a wider and more democratic one, one communities rights-based and with the idea that a nation could only be built with equal contribution all social sectors. A vision rooted in a concept of equality deeply felt by the rural poor population , who repeated as a chant that "naide es más que naide", that means: "nobody is better than anyone", and that for this reason rejected the idea that driving should be monopolized by the enlightened and doctors. Given the hegemonic pretensions of these, installed mostly in Buenos Aires, federalism, while integrating and jealous defender of the rights of peoples, appears as an inevitable necessity. Artigas conceived this, not only through reading American texts, but by his own experience of the tremendous events of 1811, in which the rights of his people were not recognized for the sake of foreign interests, which sought themselves higher.

The political program of the Instructions of XIII was then completely unaffordable for the men who ran the fate of the nascent political community of Buenos Aires. His claim of provincial equality, that somehow pointed to a rights equity above classes seemed irrational nonsense for Rivadavia, Sarratea or Alvear, meant to put on the same plane "civilization" and barbarism ". And the leaders that drove this ideas, beginning with Artigas, were, in the conception of them, "anarchists" in the sense of favoring the chaos, enemies of civilization centralism. Understanding was impossible, those who tried as José San Martin ended up marginalized and frustrated. These two highly conflicting political ideologies soon would lead to a greater rift between Artigas and the government of Buenos Aires.

The deputies elected at Congress led by Artigas arrived in Buenos Aires, presented his credentials to the General Assembly and, with the exceptions of Larrañaga and Gomez Fonseca, were rejected on the grounds -formally unobjectionable, which had been selected from outside the regulations issued in this regard. However, that was just a pretext argument, as is demonstrated by the fact that other elected provincial representatives with the same irregularities were accepted without protest. The real reason for the rejection was on the federal program held in the Instructions of XIII, that collided head-on with the ideas of the group of Carlos María de Alvear, most predominant within the General Assembly. Nor could the provinces united, that was considered itself a sovereign entity, that the acknowledgment of his authority was subject to a covenant.

The instructions that carried these deputies, despite having been rejected by the assembly, were having a much greater impact than anticipated by Artigas himself. Copies of these were circulating through Santa Fe, a nearby province, and, surely, for the other provinces too, in which federalism extended vigorously. Deputy Santiago Felipe Cardoso, during his stay in the capital Buenos Aires, and surely following Artigas express orders, communicated with provincial leaders to let them know the federal program and invite them to join in this type of government. Is precisely known his contact with President of the "Real Audiencia of Charcas", in "Alto Perú" (now Country Bolivia). After this Artigas sent a letter to the government of Buenos Aires, strongly criticizing the provisions thereof, which ultimately led to a greater rift between the leader and the city government. What caused that the Buenos Aires government decided to imprison the Deputy Felipe Santiago Cardoso for subversive activities.

Federalism is a political concept in which a group of members are bound together by covenant (Latin: foedus, covenant) with a governing representative head. The term "federalism" is also used to describe a system of government in which sovereignty is constitutionally divided between a central governing authority and constituent political units (such as states or provinces). Federalism is a system based upon democratic rules and institutions in which the power to govern is shared between national and provincial/state governments, creating what is often called a federation.

Liberalism (from the Latin liberalis) is a political philosophy or worldview founded on ideas of liberty and equality. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally they support ideas such as free and fair elections, civil rights, freedom of the press, freedom of religion, free trade, and private property.

Liberalism first became a distinct political movement during the Age of Enlightenment, when it became popular among philosophers and economists in the Western world. Liberalism rejected the notions, common at the time, of hereditary privilege, state religion, absolute monarchy, and the Divine Right of Kings. The 17th-century philosopher John Locke is often credited with founding liberalism as a distinct philosophical tradition. Locke argued that each man has a natural right to life, liberty and property[9] and according to the social contract, governments must not violate these rights. Liberals opposed traditional conservatism and sought to replace absolutism in government with representative democracy and the rule of law.

The revolutionaries of the American Revolution, segments of the French Revolution, and other liberal revolutionaries from that time used liberal philosophy to justify the armed overthrow of what they saw as tyrannical rule. The nineteenth century saw liberal governments established in nations across Europe, Spanish America, and North America. In this period, the dominant ideological opponent of liberalism was classical conservatism.

During the twentieth century, liberal ideas spread even further, as liberal democracies found themselves on the winning side in both world wars. Liberalism also survived major ideological challenges from new opponents, such as fascism and communism. In Europe and North America, there was also the rise of social liberalism, which is related with social democracy in Europe. As such, the meaning of the word "liberalism" began to diverge in different parts of the world. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, "In the United States, liberalism is associated with the welfare-state policies of the New Deal program of the Democratic administration of Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt, whereas in Europe it is more commonly associated with a commitment to limited government and laissez-faire economic policies." Consequently in America, the ideas of individualism and laissez-faire economics previously associated with classical liberalism, became the basis for the emerging school of libertarian thought.

Today, liberal political parties remain a political force with varying degrees of power and influence on all inhabited continents.

Artiguism is the set of political ideas, economic and social, of José Gervasio Artigas, the main leader of the Oriental Revolution held in the Oriental Province of the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata, which was a predecessor of the modern Republic of Uruguay.

Artiguism has two main sources: the works of American authors such as Thomas Paine (supporters of federalism) and the French authors of the Enlightenment as Jean-Jacques Rousseau. It is known that Artigas, in his teens, read the books "Common Sense" of Paine and "The social contract" of Rousseau.

The ideology Artigas is partially taken from the U.S. legal texts. The American political liberalism exerted strong influence on Artigas. Other Hispanic independence leaders, however, were more influenced by the French Revolution and the authors of France. Some historians such as Eugenio Petit Muñoz and Ariosto González, have shown that some paragraphs of the artiguist documents were taken directly from "The independence of the mainland justified by Thomas Paine, thirty years ago" published by Paine in Philadelphia in 1811 and translated immediately into Spanish, and "concise history of the United States" by John McCulloch. Artigas had both books.

The first of the works cited contained a large appendix of documents with the United States Declaration of Independence, the Federal Constitution of 1787 and the State Constitutions of Massachusetts, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Virginia.

Artigas was educated at a Catholic school of the Franciscans, from which he retired to the ranches of his father, which were located in the current land bordering Villa de Casupá. In the first stage of his life he was not influenced by revolutionary ideas. His education was not very orthodox, although it showed brilliance in performance. They chroniclers at the time of purification, when he had 3 or 4 secretaries, reported that he dictated letters simultaneously to the four, with surprising clarity. Those were related to administrative and political organization, through diplomatic letters and minor issues as refunds of goods to villagers, or set pensions for widows and children of its fighters killed in action. During his association with the campaign he gained experience for the revolution which took place later.

In the opinion of the investigator Carlos Maggi, Artigas was influenced in his teens by his relationship with the natives, black peoples and gauchos. He mixed his roots, his readings and his contact with high society in Montevideo and the outcasts.

The Artiguist ideology consisted of political ideas, which were expressed in the Instructions of the year XIII and the establishment of the Federal League. He also had socioeconomic ideas, who spoke on the Regulation of Land, the Provisional Regulations of the Eastern Province for the Promotion of Safety Campaign and its Planters and the Provisional Regulation on Tariffs for the Confederated Provinces of the Banda Oriental del Paraná. Other sources of Artiguist thought are the speech to the Congress in Tres Cruces, the Mercedes Proclamation, General Ordinance Corso and the "Treaty on the security of free trade between England and the ports of the Banda Oriental del Rio de la Plata" signed between Artigas and Britain in August 1817.

The main ideas of Artigas were: Independence from the Spanish and Portuguese Empire. Formation of a confederation between the former provinces of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata. Political organization as a republic with separation of the three powers. Organization embodied in a written constitution. Civil and religious liberty. Government focused on the preservation of equality, liberty and security of citizens. Federalism between provinces. Free trade among the provinces of the confederation.

And also his ideas about Countryside were: Distribution of land to free negros, free Zambos, natives, poor criollos and needy widows with children. Expropriation of the land of emigrants that have not been pardoned for having their old properties and land sold or donated by Montevideo between 1810 and 1815. Licensing for landlords to meet and plunder animals. Mandatory mark earned by farmers and ban the slaughter of livestock by ranchers if they did not prove that were his trademark. Ban on livestock exports to Brazil. Prohibition of slaughter of females. Persecution of vagabonds, criminals and deserters in the campaign. Obligation of landowners to register their workers and prosecution of those who did not have the ballot from their employers.

About the sculptor Serapio Bernardo Pérez de León, unfortunately there was no information found.

Banco de la República Oriental del Uruguay (BROU) is a state-owned bank in Uruguay.

República Oriental del Uruguay, better known by its initials BROU, was founded on August 24th of 1896 under the presidency of Juan Idiarte Borda. It is the most important Uruguayan bank with the largest number of customers.

It plays a dominant role in lending and deposit in the Uruguayan market. It is also responsible for the collection of exportation taxes.

On October 22, 1896 at 10:00 a.m. the great doors of this magnificent building were opened to the public for the first time. Among hopes and fears, the first 54 employees of the bank began their first work day. The first deposit was made by the President of Uruguay, Juan Idiarte Borda.

Since its inception, the brou bank has worked uninterruptedly, even through the worst economic crisis the country suffered, that some of them bankrupted some other banks, BROU resisted them and even came out of the further solidified.

Today it has 115 branches across the country and three abroad, apart from over a hundred ATMs scattered at strategic points of the country as commercial areas such as shopping centers, supermarkets and petrol stations.

Its current president is economist Fernando Calloia, who was appointed at the beginning of the Tabaré Vázquez government in 2005.

Block:

The block is only decorated with four icons with the shap of a papyrus, or an old written sheet, symbolizing the Instructions of Year XIII to show the inks used in printing, and the legend of the biccentenniaal honoured in the release: "Bicentenario Instrucciones del Año XIII".

FDC:

The desing of the First Day Cancelation, besides the legend "Instrucciones Año XII", the date of issue, and the ones for all cancelations: "Correos Uruguay", it also shows José Gervasio Artigas, by a nice view of the sculpture of him, made by the world recongized uruguayan artist Juan Manuel Blanes and his son, that shows Artigas in a greeting pose, with his hat in his right hand, and his left hand over the hilt of this sheathed sword.

José Gervasio Artigas Arnal was born on June 19, 1764, and passed away on September 23, 1850). He is a national hero of Uruguay, sometimes called "the father of Uruguayan nationhood".

Artigas was born in Montevideo on June 19, 1764. His grandparents were from Zaragosa, Buenos Aires and Tenerife (Canary Islands). His grandparents fought in the War of the Spanish Succession and moved to the Americas to escape from poverty, settling in Buenos Aires in 1716. Artigas was the son of Martín José Artigas and Francisca Antonia Arnal, who came from a wealthy family. His parents enrolled him in the Colegio de San Bernardino, to pursue religious studies, but Artigas refused to submit to the school's strict discipline. Before he left the school, he developed a strong friendship with Fernando Otorgues, who would work with him in later years. At the age of 12, he moved to the countryside and worked on his family's farms. His contact with the customs and perspectives of gauchos made a great impression on him. Once he had come of age, he distanced himself from his parents and became involved in cattle smuggling. This made him a wanted man among the owners of haciendas and also among the government in Montevideo. A reward was put out for his death.

Things changed with the opening of the Anglo-Spanish War, and the threat of a British attack upon the viceroyalty. The viceroy Antonio de Olaguer y Feliú negotiated a pardon with his family, on the condition that he joined the Corps of Blandengues with a hundred men, to form a battalion. Thus, he began his military career in 1797, at age 33, with the rank of lieutenant. The attack finally came in 1806, when William Beresford invaded Buenos Aires, in the first British invasions of the Río de la Plata. Although Artigas's unit was tasked with patrolling the frontier with Brazil, he requested to take part in the military expedition that Santiago de Liniers launched from Montevideo to drive the British out of Buenos Aires. His request was granted, and the British were defeated. After the liberation of Buenos Aires, he was tasked with returning to Montevideo and informing the governor Pascual Ruiz Huidobro of the result of the battle. A second British attack aimed to capture Montevideo, which was captured in the Battle of Montevideo. Artigas was taken prisoner, but he managed to escape and returned to the countryside. He organized groups of gauchos and began a guerrilla war against the invaders. The British tried to capture Buenos Aires a second time, but were defeated by the local armies, and returned Montevideo to Spanish control as part of the terms of capitulation. Artigas was promoted to captain in 1809.

The ideas of the Age of Enlightenment and the outbreak of the Peninsular War in Spain, along with the capture of King Ferdinand VII, generated political turbulence all across the Spanish Empire. The absence of the king from the throne (replaced by the French Joseph Bonaparte) and the new ideas of the Enlightenment sparked the Spanish American wars of independence, between patriots (who wanted to establish republics or constitutional monarchies) and royalists (who wanted to keep an absolute monarchy). Artigas, who thought that the gauchos were not treated well, supported the new ideas. Buenos Aires deposed the viceroy in 1810, during the May Revolution, replacing him with the Primera Junta. Mariano Moreno, secretary of war, wrote at the Operations plan that Artigas would be a decisive ally against the royalists in Montevideo, and called him for an interview. However, by the time Artigas arrived in Buenos Aires, Moreno had already left the government. He was still welcomed, but received little help. He was promoted to colonel and received some weapons, money and 150 men, very little to organize a rebellion at the Banda Oriental. This was the last time Artigas saw the city of Buenos Aires.

Spain declared Buenos Aires a rogue city, and appointed Montevideo as the new capital, with Francisco Javier de Elío as the new viceroy. The city had financial problems, and the measures taken by Elío to maintain the royalist armies were highly unpopular in the countryside. This allowed Artigas to channel the popular discontent against the colonial authorities. A hundred men met near the Asencio stream and made the "Grito de Asencio", a pronunciamiento against the viceroy. They captured many villages in the Banda Oriental, such as Mercedes, Santo Domingo, Colla, Maldonado, Paso del Rey, Santa Teresa and San José. They also captured Gualeguay, Gualeguaychú and Arroyo de la China, at the west of the Uruguay river.

Elío sent some soldiers to kill Artigas, who failed. Then, he sent Manuel Villagrán, a relative of Artigas, to offer him the pardon and appoint him general and military leader of the Banda Oriental if he gave up the rebellion. Artigas considered the offer an insult, and sent Villagrán prisoner to Buenos Aires.

Montevideo was soon surrounded by Artigas's forces. A Montevidean army tried to stop the patriots at the Battle of Las Piedras, but they were defeated, and the city was put to siege. José Rondeau, commanding forces from Buenos Aires, joined the siege. Artigas wanted to attack the city right away, but Rondeau thought that there would be less loss of lives by establishing a blockade and waiting for the city to surrender. However, the besiegers did not consider the naval forces of Montevideo, who kept the city supplied and enabled them to endure the blockade.

On the verge of defeat, Elío allied himself with Brazilian forces, requesting their intervention in the conflict. Dom Diogo de Sousa entered into the Banda Oriental, leading an army of five thousand men. This added to the defeat of Manuel Belgrano at the Paraguay campaign, the defeat of Juan José Castelli at the First Upper Peru campaign and the Montevidean naval blockade of Buenos Aires. Fearing a complete defeat, Buenos Aires signed a truce with Elío, recognizing him as the ruler of the Banda Oriental and half of Entre Ríos. Artigas felt the truce to be treasonous. He broke relations with the city, and lifted the blockade over Montevideo.

Artigas left the Banda Oriental and moved to Salto Chico, in Entre Ríos. All his supporters moved with him. This massive departure is known as the "Éxodo del pueblo oriental".

The Supreme Director Gervasio Antonio de Posadas offered a reward of $6.000 for the capture of Artigas, dead or alive. The only consequence of this action was increased resentment of the orientals towards Buenos Aires. Several royalist leaders, such as Vigodet or Pezuela, sought an alliance with Artigas against Buenos Aires, but he rejected them: "I may not be sold, nor do I want more reward for my efforts than to see my nation free from the Spanish rule". Despite the deep disputes, Artigas was still eager to return to good terms with Buenos Aires, but only if the city accepted a national organization based on federalist principles.

Posadas sent two more armies to capture and execute Artigas, but they mutinied and joined the orientals. When the Artiguist influence expanded to Corrientes, Posadas sought to negotiate by accepting the autonomy of the provinces. Artigas accepted the terms, but clarified that such autonomy must not be understood as national independence. He did not want to secede the Banda Oriental from the United provinces, but to organize them as a confederation. Posadas, who supported the authority of Buenos Aires as the head of a centralized state, delayed the approval of the treaty.

Buenos Aires renewed the military actions against Montevideo. This time, the naval skills of William Brown helped to overcome the strength of the Montevidean navy, leading to the final defeat of the royalist stronghold. Carlos María de Alvear led the capture of Montevideo, and lured Artigas there by promising that he would turn over the city to the Oriental patriots. Alvear attacked them without warning at Las Piedras, but Artigas managed to escape from the trap.

In 1814, Artigas organized the Liga de los Pueblos Libres (League of the Free Peoples), of which he was declared Protector. In the following year, he liberated Montevideo from the control of the "Unitarians" from Buenos Aires.

In 1815, Artigas attended the Proto-congress of the Independence of Argentina, held in Arrollo de la China (today known as Concepción del Uruguay). It was at this congress that the provinces of the Oriental Province (today the country of Uruguay), Córdoba, Corrientes, Entre Ríos, Misiones and Santa Fe declared themselves independent from Spain and formed the Liga Federal ("Federal League"). The Liga Federal invited other provinces of the former Viceroyalty of the Rio de la Plata to join them under a federal system.

The continued growth of influence and prestige of the Federal League frightened the governments in Buenos Aires (because of its federalism) and Portugal (because of its republicanism), and in August 1816, Portugal invaded the "Provincia Oriental" (with tacit complicity from Buenos Aires), with the intention of destroying Artigas and his revolution.

The Portuguese forces, led by Carlos Frederico Lecor, captured Artigas and his deputies and occupied Montevideo on 20 January 1817, but the struggle continued for three years in the countryside. Infuriated by Buenos Aires's passivity, Artigas declared war on Buenos Aires while he was losing to the Portuguese. His subordinates, members of the Federal League -- Francisco Ramírez, governor of Entre Ríos, and Estanislao López, governor of Santa Fe—managed to defeat the centralism of Buenos Aires. But hope for a new nation was short-lived; both commanders entered agreements with Buenos Aires that went against the principles of Artigas. They rebelled against him and left him to be crushed by the Portuguese.

Without resources and men, Artigas withdrew to Paraguay in September 1820. In Paraguay, Dr. Francia, the dictator, banished him to Candelaria. He then disappeared from the political life of the region.

After a long exile, he died in Paraguay in 1850, at age 86. It is said that Artigas, feeling himself to be near death, asked for a horse and died in the saddle, as a gaucho. His remains were buried and then re-interned at the Panteón Nacional in 1855. On the 19th of June, 1977, his remains were transferred to the Artigas Mausoleum in the centre of the Plaza Independencia.

Artigas was a staunch democrat and federalist, opposed to monarchism. In his thought is visible the influence of Catholic clerics, such as his secretary José Benito Monterroso.

Artigas has become a national hero in Uruguay. This is significant as, since independence, many Uruguayan figures have been heroes of either the Colorado or the Blanco party, while being reviled by the other side. As such, Artigas has been the namesake of numerous places, vessels, etc. throughout Uruguayan history, particularly during periods of peace and reunification between the parties.

Statues of José Artigas stand on not only in many cities of Uruguay, that also stand on Constitution Avenue in Washington, D.C.; on 6th Avenue in New York; in Caracas, Venezuela; in Athens, Greece; in Mexico City; in Newark, New Jersey; in Quito, Ecuador as well as in the town centre of the city Montevideo from Minnesota, United States. Also in Asunción, Paraguay there is a statue of Artigas in its Plaza Uruguay, and the Calle Sebastián Gaboto was renamed the Avenida Artigas in his honor in 1926.

There is also a monument and square dedicated to Artigas in Rome, Italy.

Additionally, an extinct giant rodent genus, whose fossils where first found in San José Department was named Josephoartigasia after José Artigas.

The Sculpture of Artigas shown is placed over a monument in the square "Independencia", of the city "San José de Mayo", in the department of San José. The whole monument is 14 m. high, being 3,5 m for the sculpture itself, and the remaing 10,5 m for the pedestal

The June 19, 1894, during the celebration of 130th anniversary of the birth of General José Gervasio Artigas, fudamental stone was laid for what was the first monument in his honor.

On August 25, 1898, at three in the afternoon, to an audience estimated at six thousand people, was discovered national hero statue in a ceremony attended by important public personalities of the time.

The original project is by Juan Luis Blanes. His accidental death in 1895 halted the work, which was then continued by his father, artist Juan Manuel Blanes.

The construction works were entrusted to Felix Oligiatti, contest winner instituted for that purpose. The Italian sculptor Dante Costa modeled the statue of General Artigas, following sketch pictures of Blanes, melting bronze at the workshop Galli of Florence, Italy.

Several replicas of the sculpture can be seen in public spaces of Uruguay, as well as abroad, fulfilling the wishes of Juan Manuel Blanes that this piece was declared official portrait of General Artigas and thus serve as a model national hero image. Such was his request as the only reward for continuing the work of his son after his death.

Juan Luis Blanes Linari was born in Montevideo on May 21, 1856. Is the eldest son of the Uruguayan painter Juan Manuel Blanes.

He studied under his father and, between 1879 and 1883, then he completed his studies at the Academy of Art in Florence with teachers Ciaranfi, Ribalta, Emilio Gallori y Amos Cassioli (who was Director of the Academy of Siena).

After a brief time in Uruguay, returned to Italy, and with his father and brother Nicanor made a trip to the Middle East in 1890. He returned to Montevideo and remained then for two years in Buenos Aires, returning to artistic activity in his hometown since 1893.

At a time when a new planned trip to Europe to watch the cast Artigas statue erected in the city of San Jose, died in a traffic accident on a tram, on March 18, 1895.

As a painter left Creole themed paintings, several issues of composition and academic drawings. In the uruguyan national museum of Art: "Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes" could be found: "Venecia", "Una toldería", "Marina", "Ruinas de Pompeya", "Paisaje" (all oil paintings). Also is the author of "Batalla de las Piedras" (that was left unfinished at the death of the author) and the "Paisaje del Pueblo de las Piedras" (oil over cardboard).

As a sculptor modeled the chief charrúa "Abayuba" (1887) which was pouring bronze in 1930, around the same time the sculptor Edmundo Prati made monumental bronze version of this work. He finished the sketch of the statue of Joaquín Suárez, that his father taking care of finishing it execution. He is also author of "La cebadora de mate", "El baqueano de los Treinta y Tres", and with his brother Nicanor the monument to Francisco Vidiella that is placed in the square of "Villa Colón".

Juan Manuel Blanes was born on June 8th, 1830, and passed away on April 15th, 1901. He was a noted Uruguayan painter of the Realist school.

Blanes was born in Montevideo, Uruguay, in 1830. He was raised by his mother, with whom he relocated to the countryside in his early teens. Blanes took an interest in drawing at this point, and shortly afterwards, was hired as an illustrator for a Montevideo newsdaily, El Defensor de la Independencia Americana. Earning extra income with watercolors, he returned to his mother and, in 1854, established his first atelier.

He married María Linari, and in 1855, the couple settled in Salto, where he worked as a portrait painter. They relocated to Concepción del Uruguay (across the Uruguay River, in Argentina) in 1857, and Blanes was commissioned by Argentine President Justo José de Urquiza to complete a number of portraits, allegories and landscapes to grace his nearby estancia, the Palacio San José. Returning to Montevideo in 1861, the talented painter obtained a scholarship from the Uruguayan government, and with it, traveled with his family to Florence, Italy, where he studied under Antonio Ciseri until 1864.

The experience became a valuable calling card for Blanes, who became one of Uruguay's most sought-after portraiteurs. The 1871 outbreak of a yellow fever epidemic in Buenos Aires inspired his first renowned work, which he exhibited to acclaim in the recovering city. His 1872 portrait of the Argentine War of Independence hero, General José de San Martín (The Review in Rancagua), was also a success in Buenos Aires, and Blanes was invited to Chile to display the historic depiction.

Returning to Uruguay, Blanes undertook a portrait of the "Treinta y tres orientales," members of a revolutionary vanguard whose insurrection against Brazilian authorities resulted in Uruguayan Independence, in 1828. The portrait's 1877 display was followed by Blanes' second stay in Florence, where he completed The Battle of Sarandí, a depiction of another milestone in Uruguay's nationhood. These works, and his bucolic portraits of life in his homeland did not garner the interest he expected in Italy, however, and the Blaneses returned to Montevideo in the early 1880s.

Blanes resumed his portrait work, which remained popular among the local gentry. Among the most notable was a portrait of President Máximo Santos, commissioned by friends of the ruler as a gift. The most well-known from this later period, however, was Artigas en la Ciudadela, an homage to one of Uruguay's most respected early patriots, José Gervasio Artigas.

This success was followed by the 1889 death of Blanes' wife, however, and he and his younger son, Nicanor, spent the next two years in Rome, where his elder son, Juan Luis, had settled.

He returned to Uruguay alone, and continued to create historic and landscape art. A few years later, Juan Luis lost his life in an accident and in 1899, Nicanor disappeared in Pisa. Blanes hurried to the Tuscan city in hopes of locating his son, and a friend from a previous visit made him a guest in her house. Searching for nearly two years, the 70-year-old Blanes died in Ms. Manetti's Vía di Mezzo residence.

The city of Montevideo established the Municipal Museum of Fine Arts, and named it in his honor, in 1930; many of his best-known works are also displayed in the National Museum of Visual Arts. A José Artigas statue based on Blanes' portrait was cast in bronze in Uruguay during World War II as a gift to the United States.

San José de Mayo is the capital city of the San José Department in southern Uruguay.

The city is located at the centre of the department, on the intersection of Route 3 with Route 11, 90 kilometres (56 mi) from the centre of Montevideo. The railroad track connecting Montevideo with Colonia and with the northwest of the country passes through the city. The river Río San José flows along the northeastern and eastern limits of the city.

San José de Mayo was founded on 1 July 1783. It had acquired "Villa" (town) status before the Independence of Uruguay, which was elevated to "Ciudad" (city) on 12 July 1856 by the Act of Ley Nº 495. During the 19th century it became a commercial and cultural centre, known as "Montevideo chico" ("little Montevideo"). The theatre "Teatro Macció" was constructed at the turn of the 20th century.

In 2011 San José de Mayo had a population of 36,743.

Besides being the administrative capital of the department, the city is an active regional commercial and financial centre. Its economy is linked mainly to cattle ranching, and it is an agro-industrial centre for dairy products, packing houses, mills, and chemicals.

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