Decline and Fall of Spanish Merchants in Buenos Aires

8/10/2019 Decline and Fall of Spanish Merchants in Buenos Aires

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T E X A S P A P E R S O N L A T IN A M E R IC A

P r e p u b l i c a t io n working papers of the

Institute of Latin American Studies

University of Texas at Austin

IS SN 0892-3 50 7

Decl ine and Fa

of the Spanish Merchants at Buenos Aires:

Marc del Pont in the Age of Independence

Jonathan C. Brown

D epartm ent of H istory

Paper No. 87-14

http:// lanic.utexas.edu/project/etext/ll ilas/tpla/8714.pdf Jonathan C. BrownDecline and Fall of the Spanish Merchants at Buenos Aire

Marc del Pont in the Age of Independenc


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D EC LIN E A ND FA LL O FTH E SPA NISH M ER CH AN TS A T B UEN OS A IR ES:

M ARC O D EL PO NT IN TH E A GE O F IN DEPEN DEN CE

Jon ath an C . B rown

In th e fo ur d ec ad es o f co mm ercial g ro wth th at fo llo wed th e es tab lish men t o f B ue no s A ires in 1 77 6

as capital of the n ew V iceroyalty of the R o de la P lata, S panish-born m erchan ts resid ent in that city

c arn e to b e its le ad in g c itiz en s. Porteo so ciety d iffe red fro m th at o f m an y o th er S pa nis h Am erican

c itie s in th at Bue no s A ire s' w ea lth ie st a nd mo st-r es pe cte d c itiz en s were n ot p rim arily g ov ernmen t o ffi-

cials, m iners, lan dow ners, or the titled nob ility. T hey w ere ov erseas m erch ants w ho, of necessity,

cu ltiv ate d p olitical co nn ec tio ns b ut n ot la nd .1 T hes e m erch an ts co ntro lled th e im po rtatio n o f sla ves

and m ercury and the exportation of silver and hides. Their credit supported the m erchandising of

E uro pe an fin is he d g oo ds th ro ug ho ut th e Sou th er n Con e o f Sou th Amer ic a. In va ria bly mar ry in g n ativ e-

born daughters of older S panish m erchants in B uenos A ires, these Iberian-born comerciantes

e sta blis he d familie s th at d iv er sifie d in to lo ca l m ark etin g a nd p ub lic o ff ic e y et s eld om in to la nd d urin g

th e v ic ere ga l p erio do The p ower fu l m er ch an t c ommun ity a ls o a ss is te d in th e p olitic al a dm in is tra tio n o f

th e c olo nies , fin an cin g p ub lc o fficials an d co llec tin g tax es an d fees o n co mm issio n fo r th e c ro wn . In

fact, m uch o f a S paniard's access to co mm ercial w ealth depended on h is p olitical influence. A s the

le ad in g s oc ia l g ro up , th e mer ch an ts s up po rte d th e s oc ia l in stitu tio ns o f th e Spa nis h p re se nc e in th e R o

d e la P la ta -th e c hu rc h, C ath olic c ha ritie s, a nd th e r elig io us b ro th er ho od s. W ith ou t d ou bt, th e

porteo

c ommerc ia l c la ss p ro vid ed th e g lu e th at h eld to ge th er Spa in 's v as t emp ire in Sou th Americ a.

Y et by 1810, the pow er of this group had been reduced, and the Spanish-born m erchants w ere

u na ble to p re ve nt th e p as sin g o f p olitic al a nd e co nom ic p ower to th eir h ith er to le ss -p riv ile ge d C re ole

brethren. T he end result of th is disin tegration w as ind ependen ce. In the process o f its precipitou s

d eclin e, th e S pa nis h m erc han t class at B uen os A ires lo st co ntro l o f its trad e, its s ocia l tie s th ro ug ho ut

th e reg io n, its p olitica l p ow er an d, u ltim ately , its o wn w ea llh . T he in dep en de nce m ov em en t in th e R o

d e la P la ta , in so fa r a s it tr an sf err ed p oltic al p ower a nd in come awa y fr om th e Spa nis h- bo rn mer ch an ts

an d to a d isu nified g ro up o f n ativ e-b orn p olitician s an d tro op co mm an ders , m ay b e co nsid ered a so cial

re vo lu tio n in th at it s ou gh t to re stru ctu re s oc ie ty in a n a br up t if lim ite d f as hio n.

T he r ev olu tio n f or in de pe nd en ce , o f c ou r:;e , wou ld h av e b ee n impos sib le h ad th ere n ot b ee n f ir st a

b rea kd own o f th e S pan ish E mp ire. T ulio H alp ern D on gh i h as rem ark ed h ow su dd en th is b re ak do wn

w as. In a real sense, there w ere few precedents to the independence m ovem ent in the R o de la P lata;

rather, a progressive w eakening of S pain and the S paniards in the A mericas prov oked th e political

c risis in May 1 91 0 th at th os e w ho le d th e rev olu tio n h ad n ot fo rese en ev en tw o y ears e arlier.2

External problem s induced internal crisis, as events in Europe during the first decade of the

n ineteenth century tended to underm ine the econ om ic and political authority of S pain in A merica.

S pain 's in itial allia nce w ith N ap oleo n c au sed , am on g o th er th in gs, a B ritish b lo ck ad e o f S pain a nd th e

B ritish invasion of the R o d e la P lata in 1 806 and 1807. In the next year, N apoleon tu rned on h is ally

a nd s en t tro op s in to th e P en in su la , c ap tu rin g th e Spa nis h ro ya l fa rn ily . B oth th e 1 0s s o f ro ya l a uth ority

and the recurren t econ om ic depressions throu ghout the em pire in duced A merican-born elites to

c ha lle ng e th e p olitic al h eg emony o f Spa nia rd s in th e c olo nie s. T he firs t m an ife sta tio n o f in de pe nd en ce

in 181 0 pro duced the cabi ldo abierto in B uenos A ires, the m ost dram atic an d decisive event in the

r eg ion's b re ak f rom Span ish t ute la ge .

T his p ap er w ill re view th os e fa cto rs th at le d to th e b re ak down o f Spa nis h p olitic al a nd c ommerc ia l

h eg em on y in th e R o d e la P lata a s rev ealed in th e care er o f o ne in flu en tial S pan ish m erch an t at B uen os

Aires. Ventura M iguel M arc del Pont, born in 1762 at the port of V igo in Galcia, acted as the

I Su sa n M ig de n Soc olow,

The Me rc hants o f B ue no s A ir es . 1 778- 18 10

(Carnbridge,

Engl and: Ca rnbr idge Un iver sit y P re ss , 1978) , pp . 14-16 ,54,65 .

2Tuli o Ha lper n Donghi , Rev olu ci n y g ue rr a: fo rmac i n d e una lite d ir ig en te e n la

Argentina cr io lla

(B ue no s A ir es : S ig lo XXI, 1 97 2) , p p. 1 30 -1 31 .

http://lanic.utexas.edu/project/etext/llilas/tpla/8714.pdf Jonathan C. BrownDecline and Fall of the Spanish Merchants at Buenos Aires



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c ommerc ial re pre se nta tiv e in Bue no s A ire s o f h is fa th er's S pan is h merc ha nt h ou se , A c olle ctio n o f h is

papers at the B enson L atin A merican C ollection of the O niversity of T cxas al A ustin chp')\..:ks the

decline of em pire at B uenos A ires betw een 1805 and 1810. T he European w ars of the first decade of

the nin eteen th centu ry des tro yed th ose so cial bo nd s in Am erica am on g S pan ish -b orn m erch an ts an d

o fficials that fo r tw o an d o ne-half cen turies had h eld tog ether th e em pire in th e nam e o f th e k in g - and

o f in div id ua l p ro fit an d p riv ile ge . Onc e u nd ermin ed b y e xte rn al e ve nts , th e Spa nia rd s a t Bue no s A ire s

lik e Ma rc d el Pon l fe ll p re y lo th e n ew ly a ro us ed p olitic al a nd e co nomic a sp ira tio ns o f th cir e rs twhile

c olla bo ra to rs , th e n ativ e-b orn C re ole s. P erh ap s th e v ery d ep th o f s oc ia l d is lo ca tio n th at s uc ce ed ed Lhe

war s ta nd s a s te stimony to h ow impo rta nt th os e s oc ia l a nd c ommerc ia l b on ds h ad b ec n.

FO RE IG N T RA DE IN T HE V IC ER OY A LT Y

Foreign and internal trade held togethcr the V iceroyalty of thc Ro de la Plata, whose vast

t er rit or ie s spr cad f rom the windswep t

altiplano

o f A lto P cr th ro ug h th e arid fo oth ills o f M en do za, to

th e rain fo res ts o f P arag uay , an d to th e lu sh g rasslan ds of th e B and a O rien tal an d B uen os A ires. M arc

d cl P ont w as o ne of th ose w ho lesale im po rt-ex po rt m erch an ts resid in g in th e p ort an d cap ital city of

B ueno s A ires w ho con nected S pain lo th e d istan t cities o f th e em pire. W ith in flu en ce b ased o n fam ily

ties and his G alician origin, M arc actively directed a com mercial netw ork that included Lim a,

S an tiag o d e C hile, M en do za, an d C rd ob a in th e w est, P oto s in th e no rth west, Mon tev id eo , C olo nia,

and the sm aller rivcr ports in the Paran River basin, and V igo and M laga in Spain (see m ap). H e

u tiliz ed th e le ga l in strume nts o f in vo ic es an d le tte rs o f c re dit

( facturas andlibranzas)

t hr oughou t th e

S ou th ern C on e to ex ch an ge E uro pean g ood s, d om estic co mm od ities, slav es, silv er, an d h ides. In th is

k in d o f b us in es s, Ma rc d if fe re d liu le from o th er s uc ce ss fu l Bue no s A ire s m erc ha nts o f Spa nis h b ir th

w ho had been m aintaining com mercial tic s based on kinship. G aspar de Santa Colom a, an older

Basquc-born m erchant , since the 1780s had been rcselling im ported goods at a 20 to 80 percent

m ark up in Mon tev id eo , C rd ob a, S an ta F e, S an Juan , A su nci n, T ucu mn , an d S antiag o d el E stero .3

Dcs pite its s op his tic atio n, th e c ommerc ia l s ys tem, e ve n in th e b es t o f tim es , was v uln er ab le lo d is tan ce

and com petition. U nder such conditions, the trust born of social ties betw een the Spanish-born

merc ha nts was more impo rtan t th an

libranzas.

Marc d el P ont ow ed h is lead in g p ositio n in

porteo

c ommerc e to th e c on ne ctio ns h is family w ith

th e co urt of C arlo s III an d later th at o f F erd in an d V II. A y ou ng er b ro th er serv ed in th e S pan ish arm y,

ev en tu ally b eco min g a g en eral du rin g th e N ap oleon ic w ars. M arc receiv ed s hip men ts o f E uro pean

goods fm m his father's m erchant house in V igo. H e shipped cargo and correspondence to Europe via

Span is h s hip c ap ta in s w ith whom h is family h ad p ro vin cia l tie s.4

Credit lubricated the fragile Spanish com mercial system in the Ro de la Plata, and M arc

extended credit throughout the region beginning at the port of M ontevideo. The chief port on the

eSluary of the Ro de la Plata (at least for M arc) was not Buenos A ires itself but its sister city,

Monte vid eo . A l

thefragatas

and

goletas

in vo lv ed in Mar c 's tr ad e w ith E ur op e a rr iv ed a nd d ep ar te d

from Mon tev id eo . T he larg est an d m ost p ro du ctiv e o f the reg io n's cattle ran ch es w ere lo cated alo ng

t he e st ua ry we st o f Mont ev id (' ) ,a nd th e f ir st h id e- a nd meat- sa lting s la ughte rhou se s, c al lc d

saladeros,

w ere established in the Banda O riental as early as the 1790s lo serve the export trade. D espite the

advantagcs of the harbor and the productiveness of its hinterland, however, M ontevideo was

subordin at ed poli ti ca lly a nd commer ci all y t o I he v ic er egal c ap it al. E st ab lis hment o f th e consulado, or

m erch an t's g uild, at B uen os A ires in 1 79 4 m ad e it im perativ e that the m ajo r S pan ish m erch an t h ouses

3Socolow, The Merchanl s 01Bueno s A ir l s , pp. 154 -155 .

4 Carlo s C am ufse (?) lo V en tu ra M ig uel M arc d el P on t, Mon tev ideo , M arch 1 5, 1 80 9;

P ed ro O la sa rria ( ?) lo Ma rc , Monte vid eo , Ma rc h 2 9, 1 80 9, file 1 7, Pape le s, Ventu ra M igue l

M arc 6 d el P on t, Ben so n L atin Americ an Col ec tio n, Univ ers ity o fT ex as a t Aus tin . A ll th e

manusc ri pt document s c it ed below bel ong t o th is manusc rip t c oll ec tion.




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m ain tain th eir res id en ces th ere

-

even though the B anda O riental contained m uch of their export

business.

5

B eca use o f Mo nte vid eo 's eco no mic im po rtan ce, M arc d el P on t m ain tain ed w areh ou se s, retail

shops, and a subsidiary m erchant ho use there. C om mercial agents there received S panish w ine and

iro n p ro du cts , B ra zilia n c ac ao , P or tu gu es e b ee r, Du tc h woo le ns , a nd O rie nta l s ilk s o n Ma rc 's a cc ou nt.

In tu rn , th ey ex ten ded th es e g oo ds to retail m erch an ts o n th eir o wn acco un ts,

exchangingfacturas

an d

libranzas

for the goO Os.6 N um erous boatm en contracted to the M arc house carried cargos and

m es sag es b etw een B uen os A ires an d Mon tev id eo an d C olo nia o n th e B an da O rien tal. A t tim es , M arc

ex pre ssed so me fru stratio n a t b ein g th e lo ng -term cred ito r-so metim es fo r ay ear o r lo ng er-o f a larg e

num ber of retailers. H e extended credit only to m orally secure buyers, as m y desire is to term inate

th ese b rief b us in ess d eals to av oid th e in co nv en ie nces th at th ey c au se.

7

Suc h a rra ng cmen ts were

n eces sary b ecau se th e ex po rt o f sil ver sp ec ie b y th e m erch an ts an d b y g ov em m en t tax co llecto rs h ad

ro bb ed th e p ro sp er ou s a nd e xp an din g e co nomy o f th e v ic ero ya lty o f its liq uid c ap ita l. N ea rly o ne -h alf

of the region's expo rt trade betw een 1794 and 1810 consisted of go ld and silver.8 L ong-term credit

arran gem en ts o f n ecess ity tied u p Marc 's ca pital, a fact th at ren de rOO h im esp ec ially v uln erab le to

wartime disruptions.

F ro m headquarters in B uenos A ires, M arc del P ont d irected the collection of hides and other

cattle p ro du cts fro m C olo nia o n th e B an da O rien tal an d fro m p orts o n th e P ara n an d U ru gu ay riv ers.

A t C olonia, he em ploy ed S osa y C a. to collect dried and saltoo hides from th e large

estancias

in th e

vicinity . Sosa then gave out

libranzas

draw n on M arc that the cattlem en w ere to present for cash

pay ment in B uenos A ires at eight days sight. S alt, an im portant item o f trad e, w as shipped from

B uenos A ires to th e saladeros o f th e B an da O rien tal.9 A dd itio nal ru ral p ro du cts (fr uto s d e la tie rr a)

destined for in tem ational trade carne to M arc fro m several river po rts. M arc's m erchant h ouse

m ain tain OO a n um ber o f b oats

(barcos)

for the river trad es, an d his itin erant agents traveled on the

5Halpern,

Revoluci n y guer ra ,

p . 3 4; Ho ra cio J ua n Cuc co re se a nd J os P an ettie ri,

A rg en tin a, m anua l d e h is to ria e co nmic a y s oc ia l,

vol. 1 ,

Argentina criol la

(Buenos Ai re s :

E dic io ne s Ma cc hi, 1 96 2) , p p. 1 19 -1 20 ; Germ n O . E . T ja rk s,

E l c on su la do d e B uen os A ir es y s us

p ro yec cio nes en la h isto ria d el R o d e la P la ta ,

2 vols . (B ue no s A ire s: Un iv ers id ad d e Bue no s

A ir es , 1 96 2); a nd J ua n Car lo s N ic ola u,

An te cedent es para la h is to ri a de l a indus tr ia a rgen tina

(B ue no s A ire s: P ub lis hc d b y Au th or, 1 96 8), p p. 3 7-3 8.

6 Ma nu el X im n ez y Gm ez to Marc , Mon tev id eo , O cto be r 7 , 1 80 7; Z am ora to Marc ,

Monte vid eo , Octo be r 1 4, 1 80 7; Octo be r 2 1, 1 80 7, f ile 1 2.; K arla Rob in so n, T he Me rc ha nts o f

Pos t- Independence Buenos Ai re s , i n

H is panic -Amer ic an E ss ay s in Honor o f Max on

Moorhead, oo. W illiam S . Cok er (p en sa co la , 1 97 9), p . 1 22 .

7 Marc to P ed ro N ic ols d e C ho pitea, B uen os A ires , D ec em ber 1 6, 1 80 7, file 1 4; a nd

L oren zo Anto nio Maza to Marc , C rd ob a, M ay 1 6, 1 80 7, file 7 . [c om prad ores d e u na m oral

s eg ur id ad , p ue s m i d es eo e s d e te rm in ar e sto s c or to s n eg oc io s p ar a e vita rle la s in comodid ad es q ue

le causan.]

8Socolow,

The Me rc hants o f B ue no s A ir es ,

pp. 1 56 -1 57 ; L au ra R . R an da ll,

A

Comparati ve Econom ic H is to ry o f Lati n Amer ic a,

3 vo ls . (Ann Arbo r: Un iver si ty Mi cr of ilms ,

1 97 7) ,1 1, 1 83 ; a nd J oh n Lyn ch ,

Spani sh Co lon ia l Adminis trati on . 1782-1810 : The l nt endant

S ys tem in th e V ice ro ya lty o fth e R fo d e la P la ta

(London : Un iver sit y o fLond , A t hlone P re ss ,

1 95 8), p . 4 4.

9S osa to M arc, C olonia, A ugust 6 and 13, 180 7, file 10; July 30. 1807, file 9; M arch

lO , 1 80 7, file 5 ; J an ua ry 8 ,1 80 7, file 3 ; N ic ola u,

An te cedente s para l a h is to ria ,

pp. 37 -39. [a ocho

d a s v is ta .]

3




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4

rive rs, pu rch asin g the h ide s o f b ulls, c ow s, an d stee rs; th e skin s of h orses, de er, tig ers, a nd lion s; ta l-

l ow ; s ac ks o f h ors eh air; a nd d ri ed mea t.lO

In the be st of tim es, co lo nia l co mm erc e w as fille d w ith the k in d o f risk an d u nc erta in ty th at ofte n

spe lle d d isa ster for m any a porteo m erc ha nt. O n b oa rd th e riv er cra ft, m oth s (polillos) i nf es ted the

h id es , re du cin g th eir c ommerc ia l v alu e a t B ue no s A ire s. O cc as io na lly , t ra de o n th e ri ve rs c on si st ed o f

pure barter, and M arc did not alw ays have the

ponchos

on hand that river m erchants wanted in

exchange for their hidcs.ll Cargo was fragile, and transport on ships, riverboats, oxcarts, and

m uleback often led to the deterioration of goods. A1though it was lucrative, dealing in slaves

som etim es inc urre d ex tra ordina ry e xp en ses a nd losse s. In 18 02 , 35 n ew ly im po rte d A fric an sla ve s

( negros bozal es ) m aking up one of M arco's shipm ents (partida) d ied sho rt1y a fte r the ir arriva l in

B uenos A ires. N ot only did his m erchant house have to sustain the direct financialloss, but it had to

pa y fo r the ir p au pe rs' bu ria l a s w ell.12 M oreo ve r, in all th eir tra din g a ctivities, M arc 's a gen ts sou gh t

to e xc ha ng e th eir p ro du cts fo r s ilv er, th e id ea l fo re ig n e xp ort, y et si lv er w as in s ho rt s up pl y t ow ard th e

close of the colonial periodo M arc's agents com plained repeatedly of their inability to secure any

s il ve r a t a ll o n the ir b us in es s t ri ps .1 3

F in ally, all the e xp ort m erc han ts de pe nd ed o n h igh p rice s an d b risk sa les, fo r un so ld p rod uc ts tie d u p

scarce capital. Low prices and slow sales occasionally brought the credit business to the brink of

disa ster, as a ll th e m erc ha nts in th e sy stem a ttemp te d a t o nc e to re de em the ir libranzas for cash in an

ec on om y tha t la ck ed spe cie. W hen this h ap pe ned , the m erc han ts w ere no t a ble to p ay the b oa trn en a nd

c artrn en n or to h on or e ac h o th er's libranzas.14 The o ve rs up ply o f h id es a fflic tin g th e riv er tra de s s et a ll

the a ge nts to lam entin g. T he sa d sta te in w hich ou r M onte vide o find s itse lf, w ro te S osa, h as us on

this B ank [of th e R o de la P lata ] g en era lly co nste rn ate d. W hen the pric es for ru ral e xpo rts fell in

1 80 7, o ne o f Ma rc 's a ge nts c on sid ere d e ve ry on e in Mont ev id eo t o b e i ns olv en t. T his a ge nt s ug ge ste d

that the w ay to increase liquidity w as to grant a 25 percent discount on their

libranzas

to those w ho

were a ble to p ay c as h immed ia te ly . S in ce th is mea nt a lo ss o n h is in ve ste d c ap ita l, M a rc d ec lin ed .1 5

lO M anu el B autista B rid (? ) to M arc , C on ch as, A pril24 y 28 ,18 07 , L uis to M arc , A pril

3 , 18 07 , fle 6; Jo aq un B erm de z to M arc , S an N ic ols, Ja nu ary 18 , 18 07 , an d A lb erto L uis (?)

to M arc , Ja nu ary 9, 1 80 7, file 3; a nd M arc to L uis, B ue no s A ire s, M arc h 1 9, 18 07 , file 5 .

[c ue ro s d e to ro , v ac a y n ov ill o; p ie le s d e b ag ua l, c ie rv o, tig re , y le n ; s eb o; s ac os d e c erd a; y

charque]

llM an ue l A nton io Isa sbirib (? ) to M arc , C onc ha s, D ec em ber 2 1,1 80 7, file 14 ; M arc to

Y sa sb iriv il (? ), B ue no s A ire s, J an ua ry 2 , 1 80 8, fil e 1 .

1 2See v ar io us document s ent it led Resumen and r eceipt s, Decembe r 17, 1 802 to

F ebru ary 7,180 3, a nd A ndr s S nc he z de Q uro z to M arc , L im a, A pri1 26 , 1 80 7, file 6 .

1 3Tom s Toriz o(? ) to Ma rc , S an N ic ol s , J an ua ry 2 3, 1 80 7, file 3 ; L ore nz o Anto ni o

M aza to M arc , C rdo ba , D ec em be r 6 , 1 80 7, file 4.

1 4M ig ue l Z amora to Ma rc , Monte vid eo , Ju ly 2 2,1 80 7, file 9 ; Z amo ra to Ma rc ,

O cto be r 7,18 07 , Ju an de D ulo n to M arc , M ontev ide o, O cto be r 22 ,1 80 7, fold er 1 2; F . de S oria

t o Ma rc , Monte vid eo , S ep temb er 3 0, 1 80 7, fo ld er 1 2.

1 5S os a to Ma rc , C olo nia , Ja nu ary 2 2, 1 80 7 file 3 ;Z amora to Ma rc , Mont ev id eo ,

A ug ust 9,18 07 , file 10 ;M a rc to Z am ora, B uen os A ire s, O cto be r 1 7, 1 80 7, file 1 2. [ L a triste

S itu ac i n e n q ue S e a lla n ue stra Mon te vid eo , n os tie ne c on ste rn ad o g en era lmen t a to da e sta

Banda. ]




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5

IN 1ER NA L 1R AD E A ND C OM M ER CE

Spanish-born m erchants such as M arc del Pont also provided com mercial cohesion to a vast

netw ork that bound the distant cities of the Southern C one to B uenos A ires. K inship and Spanish

origin ensured both the political and the econo mic unity of the S panish A merican em pire. M arc del

P on t m ain ta in ed c on nectio ns w ith re lativ es an d k in , all o f w ho m ass is ted o ne an oth er in th e ex ch an ge

a nd re ta ilin g o f g oo ds in Crd ob a, Me ndoz a, S an tia go , L im a, a nd A lto P er .

In Crdoba, the second most populous city in the viceroyalty, M arc had a cousin who

co ord in ated th e sale o f E uro pean im po rts th at ca rn e th ro ug h Marc 's m erch an t h ou se in B uen os A ires .

A dd ress in g Marc d el P on t as m y m os t b elo ved co usin ( m i m s am ad o p rim o ), L oren zo Anto nio

Maza serv ed as th e m ost im po rtan t au xiliary fo r th e fa mily 's co mm erce in th e in terio r. H is w areh ou se

in C rd ob a rec eiv ed g oo ds fro m B uen os A ires v ia a train o f o xc arts

( tropa de car re ta s) .

He sepa ra ted

th ose good s to be sold in C rdoba and sent the rest on to M en doza and P otos. M aza also took charge

of retailing goods on M arc's acco unt in his shop at the center of C rdoba. H e sent M arc letters via

the

correo,

w hich arrived in B ueno s A ires w ithin a w eek, to inform M arc of the latest prices o n the

plazaand to notify him of those foreig n item s in dem and by

cordobs

co nsu mers. In all, M arc car-

ried h is co us in fo r m ore th an 7 ,0 00 p eso s o ver a p erio d o f sev eral m on th s b efo re s ale s p erm itted Maz a

to d ed uc t h is p ro fit o f a pp ro xim ate ly 8 p erc en t a nd re pa y Ma rc 's lin e o f c re dit.1 6

Spaniards seem ed to have controlled m ost retail sales of European goods in Crdoba, often

com bin ing political functions an d business. C rd oba's tow n co uncil

(cabildo)

nam ed M aza the

D efen din g Mag istrate o f th e P oo r

( Re gid or D efe ns or d e Pob re s).

H is co mp etito r h ad b een a C ata ln

shop keeper w ho w as closely associated w ith the roy al governor of C rdoba and w ith the pow erful

porteo m erch an t clan o f L ezica. H av in g en gag ed in lo cal p olitics to e nh an ce h is o wn b usin ess , M aza

su ffered when riv al m erch an ts receiv ed p olitica l fav oritismo H e co mp la in ed to Marc d el P on t th at

o fficial in co mp ete nce an d arb itrarin es s, esp ecia lly in co llectio n o f cu sto ms d uties an d s ales tax es

(alcabala),

fa vo red h is co mm erc ial riv als -d es pite M aza's o wn u ns elfish p ub lic serv ic es.1 7 S ales at

C rd ob a, ev en in th e b est o f tim es , h ad to o ve rco me th e o th er v ic iss itu des o f co lo nial co mm erce at th e

b eg in nin g o f th e n in eteen th ce ntu ry : lo w p ric es an d s lo w tu rn ov er. T he sca rcity of silv er in C rd ob a

and low p rices delayed the pay off of cred it.18 O ften the m erchant provid ing credit w aited one year or

lo ng er to c olle ct o n th e s ale s o f re ta il items .

M arc del Pont extended his ties of kinship and patronage to M endoza in his effort to join the

interests of em pire and those of his ow n profit. The

porteo

m erchant expanded h is business by

se nd in g clien ts to Men do za. Im m ig ratin g S pan iard s w ho h ad k no wn Marc 's fath er in V ig o ev en left

th eir fam ilie s in Marc 's h ou seh old in B uen os A ires w hile seek in g th eir fo rtu nes in Men do za, b ein g

helped along the w ay by a number of M arc's correspondents.19 The overlapping political and

c om m erc ial fu nctio ns o f th e m erc han ts at B uen os A ire s allo wed Marc to s olid ify h is in flu en ce in far-

off M endoza. A mendocino c or re sp on de nt r eq ue ste d th at Ma rc in te rc ed e w ith th e c ap ta in g en era l in

Bue no s A ire s to s ec ure p romotio n o f two o ff ic ers o f th e m ilitia s in Mendoz a.2 0

16M aza to M arc, C rdoba, January 16, 1807, file 3; M arch 1807, file 5; A pril2 0, 1807,

file 6 ; A ug ust 1 6, 1 80 7, file 1 0.

1 7Ma za to Ma rc , Crd ob a, J an ua ry 1 6, 1 80 7, f ile 3 ; Ab ril 1 6, 1 80 7, file 6 ; S ep tiemb re

1 6, 1 80 7, file 1 1.

18M aza to M arc, Crdoba, December 16, 1807, me 4.

1 9Narc is o B en av d ez to Ma rc , Me ndoz a, F eb ru ar y 9 ,1 80 7, An to nio Monte to Ma rc ,

M en do za, F eb ru ary 1 6, 1 80 7, m e 4 ; Man uel F elip e d el Mo lin a to Marc , M en do za, A ug ust 3 ,

1 80 7, file 1 0; Mo lin a to Marc , M en do za, S ep tem ber 6 , 1 80 7, file 1 1.

2 0Mo lin a to Marc , M en do za , S ep tem ber 6 , 1 80 7, file 1 1; F au stin o Am ay l (?) to Marc ,

Mendoza,October29,1807, f ile 1 2




8/15

6

M arc a1so extended his netw ork of patronage, credit, and correspondence to the w est coast of

S outh A m eric a. T he ro ya l m ails th at cro sse d the A nde an p asses p erm itte d him 1 0 co rre sp on d w ith his

ag en ts in S antia go de C hile w ithin th re e w ee ks 1 0 on e m on th an d w ith L im a w ith in a n a dd itio na l o ne 10

tw o w eeks. In fact, M arc provided m uch of the credit upon w hich his com patriots in both L im a and

C hile operated. H is agents on the w est coast of S outh A merica dea1t not on1y w ith E uropean goods,

w hich increasing1y arrived in non-S panish ships, but in G uayaquil cacao, C hi1ean copper, A sian

c in namo n, a nd si ave s im po rte d th rou gh B ue no s A ire s. U po n se llin g fou r sla ve s (fo r 46 0 p eso s e ach )

se nt to L im a o n M arc 's a cc oun t, th e L im a a ge nt p ro po se d in vestin g th e pro ce ed s in G ua yaq uil c aca o,

P er uv ian quinine b ar k (cascarilla), and sugar for further m arketing along the W est C oast21 In a 6,000-

peso deal, M arc also provided all the credit for the im port through V al paraso of tw e1ve bags of

cinnamon

( chur la s d e can ela )

fo r re sale in S an tia go a nd L im a. T he profits of this sa le u 1tim ate 1y w en t

in to th e p urc ha se o f 4 0,0 00 k ilo gram s (4 ,0 00

quintales)

o f C hile an c op pe r f or re sa le i n L ima.2 2

M arc's w est coast business consisted of the transport and reselling of non-E uropean goods,

b eca use E uro pe an sh ip s, the larg e n um be r of w hic h set in m otio n so me price u nce rtainty fo r S pan ish

m erchants at the ports of V alparaso and C allao. Ships from H am burg, for exam p1e, even bypassed

S pa nish re stric tion s o n B ritish tra de b y la nding first in E ng1 an d o n trip s to S ou th A m erica .2 3 C hile an-

bom contrabandistas who were dealing drectly with Am erican and British ships com peted by

u nd ers elli ng S pa ni sh c ompe ti to rs . S pa nia rd s, w ho c la im ed to h av e p aid th ei r c us tom s d ut ie s fa it hfu ll y,

u nl ik e the

contrabandistas,

s uppo rt ed the e st ab li shmen t o f s ev er al cus toms outpo st s

(resguardos)

o n th e

c oa st. In re ality, S pan ia rd s a lso e ng age d in sm ug glin g a nd in d ea lin g in sto le n g oo ds.

24

Meanwhile,

th e a bun dan ce o f E uro pe an go ods in S an tiag o a nd L im a stretch ed ou t th e w ho 1e sa le r's cre dit b eca use

sa le s w ere so slo w. R ep orted th e L im a co rre sp on den t: S ale s a re fa ta l h ere o n a cc ou nt o f th e nu me rou s

e ffe cts th at th e tre ac he rou s B ritish e nemie s are in tro du cin g 1 0 us no w w ith c on tra ban d an d th en w ith

pe rm issib1 e trad e, so tha t I d o n ot lose sig ht o f the m any w ay s the r tre ac he ry se ek s to ru in u s.

,,25

A t the close of the colonial period, as his correspondence m akes clear, M arc del Pont had

com mercial interests in the far com ers of the Spanish A merican E mpre. A lthough he utilized

k in sh ip a nd r eg io na l tie s amon g Spania rd s to e sta blis h t he n ec es sa ry tru st n ee de d fo r 1 0n g-d is ta nc e

t ra de in S ou th Americ a, th e p re sS ure s o f c omp et iti on a nd c on tra ba nd s eemed e temal ly 1 0 th re ate n t he

d el ic at e c re dit s tru ctu re o f c ol on ia l c ommerc e. A s a who le , S pa in 's c olo nia l tra de s uffe re d a v ola ti le

series of boom s and busts betw een 1790 and 1810. T he volum e of trade during tw o periods, 1797 to

1801 and 1805 to 1808, fell to levels just 10 percent of w hat they w ere in 1790.26 U npredictab1e

a nd d eep c om m erc ia l d ep re ssio ns p 1a ce d e no rm ous p re ssu re o n th e o ve rse as m erc han ts w ith in the

co10nies. A lthough fragile, the S panish long-distance com mercia1 system had contributed to

imp eria l u ni ty th ro ug h t he firs t d ec ad e o f th e n in ete en th c en tu ry . H owev er, t ha t v ery fra gi lity wou ld

lead 10b reakdown.

2 1S nc hez d e Q uroz to M arc , L im a, O cto be r 2 6,1 80 7, file 1 2; Ja nu ary 2 6,1 80 7, file 3;

Ju ly 26 ,1 807 , file 9 .

22

C ue nta d e la v enta, ga sto s y lqu id o. . . , L im a, A pri12 0, 1 807 , file 6 ; C hop itea 1 0

M arc , S an tia go de C hile , D ec em ber 9 ,1 807 , file 1 4.

2 3S nc he z d e Q uroz to M arc , L im a, Jun e 26 , 1 80 7, file 8 .

2 4C ho pite a 1 0 Ma rc , S antia go , C hile , Ja nua ry 8 ,1 80 7, file 3 ; M arch 1 1, 1 807 , file 5.

2 5C ho pite a 1 0 Ma rc , S antia go , C hile , F ebru ary 8, 18 07, file 4 ; S n ch ez de Q uro z to

M arc , L im a, A pri12 6, 1 807 , file 6 . [ L as v entas e st n fa ta le s a ca usa de lo s m uc hisim os e fe ctos

q ue lo s p erfid os e nemi go s [lo s i ng le se s] n os e sta n y nt ro du cie nd o y a d e c on tra ba nd o e ya c on

p erm isos, de m od o qu e n o o mite n m e v io d e q uan to s le s S ug ie re su p erfid ia p ara arruinamo s. ]

2 6See J av ie r Cuen ca Est eb an , S t a ti st ic s o f Spa in 's Co loni al T rade , 1 792- 1820 ,

Hispanic

Ameri can Hi stor ica l Rev iew 62, no. 3 (1981): 384 428




9/15

C OL LE CT IO N O F C HU RC H T AX ES

In a dd itio n to the bo nds o f co mm erc e, S pa nia rd s a lso p ro vide d th e b ure au cra tic c onn ectio ns th at

united the distant parts of the Spanish A merican em pire. M arc del Pont illustrates w eIl the sort of

b ure au cra ti c-c ommerc ia l fu nc tio ns t o whi ch many i nfl ue ntia l S pa ni ard s in th e Americ as , a pp are ntl y

un der the g en era l a ssum ption th at pu blic se rv ic e a nd p riv ate p rofit w ere no t at a ll m utu ally e xc lusive ,

su bsc rib ed . M arc re ce iv ed a n im peria l c om m ission to c oIle ct th e sp ec ia l w artim e ta xe s o n c hurch -

he ld m ortg age s, c aIle d th e C on so lida ci n de V ale s d e la Iglesia , fro m C hile , A lto P er, a nd M en doz a

a nd to remit them to S pa in. T he p ro blem fo r the S pa nish c row n w as th at it h ad to ra ise u np opu la r tax es

a nd to ex tra ct th e g rea test amo un t of re ve nue s (fo r its E uro pea n w ars) a t th e v ery m om en t tha t th e sh eer

w eigh t o f th e ta xatio n w as ra isin g gre at o pp ositio n in the co lo nie s. Y et su ch ta x c om m ission s en able d

som e Spanish m erchants like M arc del Port personally to profit from the coIlection and transfer of

public m onies. H ow ever, M arc's involvem ent in tax farm ing involved him in politics m ore than he

m ay have w ished w hen the British invasion of the Ro de la Plata stim ulated a C reole political on-

slaught.

T he h istory o f M arc d el P on t's p ub lic serv ic e m ay illu stra te a s w eIl a se co nd fe atu re o f S pa nish

colonial governm ent in the Indies - its haphazard effectiveness in raising revenues. In 1805, the

g en era l a cc oun ta nt of th e R oy al H ouse o f th e C onso lida tion o f M ortga ges

(C ontad or G en era l d e la

R ea l C asa de C on so lid ac ion de V ale s) in M ad rid g ave th e c om m issio n to a c erta in E sp in osa to c olle ct

1 20 ,0 00 p eso s fram th e ro ya l tre asury a t B ue nos A ires. A s if the c om m ission w ere p erson al prop erty

to be dispensed as the holder wished, Espinosa subsequently sold it to M arc del Pont in Vigo.27

W hen M arc presented his credentials to the V iceregal governm ent, the viceroy and his treasurer

a dm itte d no t ye t h av in g c oIlec ted th e fu nds an d ta xe s b elon gin g to th e C onso lid atio n. T he M arqu s d e

S ob remon te s ub se qu en tly o rd ere d a Il i nt en da nts a nd s ub de le ga te s o f t he p ro vi nc es t o s en d th es e t ax es

to th e trea su ry. W ith in sev era l m on th s, w he n it h ad b ec am e c le ar tha t th e v ic ero y's su bo rd in ate s w ere

not com plying-and under pressure of M arc del Pont-the M arqus de Sobrem onte sent out the

following order :28

H av in g o fte n r ep ea te d its in st ru ct io ns a bo ut c oIl ec ti ng t he y ea rly re nts th at o ug ht to

be paid in fuIl for the provisions in High Offices, Canons, and Sinecures of the

C hurch of the R ealm , it m akes itself becom e very necessary to establish a m ethod

that serves as a general rule on the m atter and at the sam e tim e avoids the repetition

o f sim ila r c on tro versie s w ith w hich th e C on cern is b ee n de nie d th e prom pt re ceipt of

it s l eg it im a te re ve nu es , th e a tte ntio n o f th is S up eri or Aut ho rit y a nd th os e o f th e o th er

P ro vi nc ia l C hie fs o f th e V ic ero ya lity a re in te rru pt ed a ls o fre qu en tly , I h av e d ec la re d

th at it is a pra pe r ob je ct tha t ea ch in dividu al w ho , b y rea so n o f ha vin g b ee n pre se nte d

fo r so me H ig h O ffic e, C ono nry, o r S in ec ure o ugh t to p ay in fu Il the c orre sp ond in g

yearly rent by quarters or by eighths, according to the resolution that has been re-

ceived fram the governing com mision of the C onsolidation; for that purpose D on

V entura M iguel M arc has been nam ed the G eneral Receiver of the Funds of the

C onsolidation or he w ill direct the paym ents to the pow er of this A ccountant of the

D iezm os according w hat has been agreed, giving notice alw ays to the respective

G ov ern or In te nda nt o r th e C hief w ho e xerc ise s tho se fu nc tion s, so tha t fo r h is pa rt h e

may a ls o c ommun ic ate w ith th is S up erio r Auth or ity .

M arc him self assum ed the coIlection of church m onies fram A lto Per. T he 10ng-distance

correspondence to A lto Per is instructive of the kinds of social ties that Spaniards m aintained as a

functional elem ent in unifying the disparate parts of the em pire. The Spaniards in Potos and

2 7M ig uel C ayta no V ole r to M an ue l S iso d e E sp in osa , M adrid, M ay 18 , 1 80 5, file 1.

2 8E l M arq u s d e S ob remon te to M arc , B ue no s A ire s, Ja nu ary 25 , 18 06 an d N ov em be r

1 5, 1 806 , file 2. S ee A pp end ix . [ c au dales p ro ce de ntes d el N ove no d ec im al y d em s a rvitrio s

c orre sp on di en te s a la C aja d e C on so li da ci n d e V ale s R ea le s. ]

7




10/15

8

Cochabam ba either knew M arc personally or had m aintained a distant yet binding trust based on

nationa1 and regional origino In deference, perhaps, to social and com mercia1 standing, M arc

addressed one of the Cochabam ba m erchants as m y m aster ( m i d ue o ), and Alto Per cor-

re sp on de nts re fe rre d to Ma rc 's fa th er-in -law and padre pol tico (w ho w as an olde r S pa nish-b om

m erc han t in B ue no s A ire s) o r to M arc 's o wn fam i1 y in V igo . U ltim ate1 y, the C on solida tio n m onie s

w ere remitte d to M arc in a c om m erc ia 1 e xpO Oitio n of ox carts b e1 0ng in g to a P otos m erch ant w hose

n ep hew p ers on ally a cc ompanie d th e c art tra in (tropa) from Potos to Buenos A ires.29 It m ay be w ell

to n ote th at th ese S pa niard s w ithd rew c om m ission s of 1 p erc en t plus e xpe nse s for th eir p ub lic se rvice

in the collection and transfer of these funds, and M arc deducted his expenses

(gastos)

a s we ll .3 0

S uc h wer e th e i nd iv id ua l rewa rd s o f impe ri al s erv ic e

The c olle ctio n p ro vOOsuc ce ss fu 1, a nd Ma rc s oo n c arn e in to th e p os se ssi on o f s ome 1 01 ,0 00 p es os

in ca sh an d a n a dd ition al 20 ,0 00 pe sos th at som ew here a 10n g the 1in e h ad be en c onv ertO O ( or pa id ) in

hide s.3 1 W artim e e ve nts so on w ere to c om pou nd h is pu blic m issio n, for B ritish w arsh ips an d tro ops in

th e R o d e la P la ta p re ve ntOOMarc from rem itt in g th e p ro ce ed s o f t he C on so 1i da tio n to S pa in .

T HE C OS TS O F B RIT ISH IN V AS IO N

A s th e E uro pea n w ar ha d w ea ken OO th e Emp ire of S pa in , th e B ritish inv asion o f the R o d e la P la ta

definitive1y ruptured these S panish social bonds in the viceroya1ty. Spaniard and C reo1e fought

together to repulse the B ritish invaders. H ow ever, the very participation of the C reo1es as m ilitia

1 ea de rs i n imp eria l d efe ns e u lt im at e1 y u nd erm in ed th e s oc ia l h eg emon y-a nd t hu s th e c ommerc ia 1 a nd

p o1itic a1 po sition s-{ )f m en lik e M arc de l P on t. A s a S pan ia rd , M arc u ltim ately be came a v ic tim of

th e Ameri ca n re pe rc us sio ns o f Euro pe an war.

O n the eve of M arc's collection of the Consolidacin de V ales, in June 1806, a British naval

squadron landed troops at B uenos A ires. T he unauthorized expO Oition of Sir H om e R iggs Popham

appealcd to the British m erchant com munity, how ever, for the E uropean W ars had ended a very

p ro sp er ou s, t hough ind ir ec t, t rade car riOOout b etween Great B ri ta in , Spa in , and the Spani sh Ameri ca s.

P op ham h ad t ho ug ht a n a tta ck o n th e v ic ere ga l c ap it al w ou ld e nc ou ra ge th e c olo ni a1 s to ris e u p a ga in st

t he u npopul ar Spani sh r u1 er s. Bu t t he colon ia l m i li ti as , twe lv e hundrOOs trOng, exp el lOO th e B ri ti sh

fram Buenos Aires and captured the arrny com mander, General Beresford. The British forces

me anwh ile s lJ cc ee dOOin c ap tu rin g Monte vi de o a nd Colo nia , w hic h th ey h eld fo r n in e mon th s. In la te

June 1807, G eneral W hitelock and British reinforcem ents retum ed to lay seige to Buenos A ires a

se con d tim e. N ot o nly did he suffer a no th cr d efe at at the h an ds o f the C re ole m ilitia s b ut h e a ban don OO

the Banda O riental as w ell. In the m eantim e, British industrialists had expected to reap profits.

Instead, they flooded the impon markets of the Ro de la Plata with so much woo1ens, 1inens,

glassw are, boots, rum , and furniture that prices plum meted below cost. S evera1 local m erchants,

M arc del Pont among them , sought to purchase cheap British goods and ho1d them in their

w arehouses for subsequent sale at m arked up prices.32 S uch acts m ay have m ade com mercia1 sense,

b ut th ey m ig ht a ls o b e c on stru ed a s tre ,a so no us .

29 Marc to G er nim o d e M arr n y L om be ra, B ue no s A ires, O cto ber 26 , 18 07, m e 12 ;

M arr n y L om be ra to M arc , C oc hab am ba , F ebru ary 1 5, 1 80 8, file 15 ; Y nda 1ec io G m ez d e

S oc asa to M arc , P otos, D ec em be r 27 ,1 80 7, file 1 4.

3 0Ma rr n y Lomb era , C oc ha bamb a, Aug us t 1 5,1 80 8, file 1 5.

3 1Ma rc t o S ob remon te , B ue no s A ire s, D ec embe r 2 8, 1 80 6, f ile 2 ; S ob remo nt e to Ma rc ,

M ontev id eo, Ja nua ry 7 ,1 80 7, file 3 ; M arrn y L om be ra to M arc , C oc hab am ba , S ep tembe r 1 5,

1 80 7, fil e 1 1.

3 20 n t he B rit is h i nv as io n, s ee R . A . Humphre ys, Libera ti on in South Ameri ca .1806-

1827: The Ca reer 01 James Pa ro is si en (L on do n: Univ ers ity o fLon do n, 1 95 2), p p. 3 -1 0; lo hn

Mawe, Tra ve ls in th e I nte rio r 01Braz il, 2d o o. (L an do n: L ong man , H urst, R ee s, O rm e, & B ro wn,

1823) , p p. 1 4- 15 ; H .S . F er os , Br it is h I nf orma l Emp ir e i n A rg en ti na , 1 806- 1914 ,

Past

&

Present,




11/15

9

As a p lOm in en t m er ch an t, Ma rc d el Pon t b oth b en ef ite d a nd s uffe red flOm th e B ritis h p re se nc e.

Ma rc a nd h is a ge nts in Monte vid eo h ad b eg un to tra de d ir ec tly w ith th e B ritis h, s ellin g

charque

to th e

s hip s s ailn g f or L on do n. B ritis h tra din g v es se ls (bergantinas) e xc ha ng ed manuf ac tu re d g oo ds fo r th e

salted hides and m eat flO m local saladeros.33 W hile the foreign troops w ere in M ontevideo flO m

Feb ru ary to Octo be r 1 80 7, Mar c 's c ommerc ia l ag en ts a nd b oa t c ap tain s were d ea lin g o n a b arte r b as is

wi th Br it ish merchan ts .

A ll in all, the negative im pact of the B ritish presence far outw eighed the benefits to M arc's

e xte ns iv e c ommerc ia l a nd p oltica l n etwork . B ritis h s hip s in th e e stu ar y in te rru pte d th e p as sa ge o f h is

launches

(lanchas)

b etwee n Bue no s A ir es a nd Monte vid eo . Ma rc h ad to c ommun ic ate w ith h is a ge nts

a t Co loni a ove rla nd v ia s ta ge coach (diligencia). A t o ne p oin t, th e B ritish in Mon tevid eo attem pted to

p rev en t th e local b oatm en flOm attack in g th eir sh ip s b y strip pin g th em of their sails an d rig gin g.3 4 A t

another point, retreating B ritish troops blO ke into a w arehouse in C olonia and dum ped a num ber of

hides into the sea. Even after S panish forces had forced B ritish troops flO m their last stronghold at

Mon tev id eo , B ritish sh ip s co ntin ued perio dically to d isru pt b oat transp ort in th e estuary.3 5 Marc 's

fam ily life also w as disrupted. W hen B ritish troops threatened B uenos A ires both in July 1806 and

June 1807, he evacuated his w ife and daughters to L ujn and, like m any w ealthy S paniards, he had

re nte d a h ou se fo r h is family in Crd ob a, whe re mos t c olo nia l a lre ad y h ad ta ke n re fu ge .3 6

Most dam agin g o f all, the B ritish in vasio n in terru pted Marc 's com m unicatio n w ith E urop e. A

c olle ag ue f lOm A lto P er h ad wan te d to s en d a c on fid en tia Ile tte r to th e Spa nis h co urt a bo ut a p oltic al

problem . U sually, M arc del P ont w ould have facilitated the safe delivery of the letter thlO ugh his

fam ily connections in V igo, but M arc's ow n correspondence to Spain had been intercepted by the

B ritish. H e advised his A lto Peruvian client to take care of his ow n problem s for the tim e being.37

Moreo ver, M arc n o lo ng er p lO fited flOm d esp atch in g ex ports to S pain. H e h ad to refu se h is serv ices

to a P oto s m erch ant w ho w an ted to sen d fou r b ag s con tain in g 6 00 p ou nd s o f P eruv ian q uin in e b ark

thlO ugh M arc's fam ily m erchant house in V igo to the potosino's bother. M arc blam ed those

malicious Englishmen for the loss of the customary one-half percent commision on such

transactions.38 .

M arc del Pont personally paid a m uch higher price for the B ritish invasion. H e had m ade an

ex trao rd inary lo an o f 70 ,3 00 p es os belon gin g to his co llectio n o f the C on so lid aci n d e V ales to h elp

pay for the defense of the viceroyalty. The patrio tic transaction occurred in C rdoba flO m m onies

No. 4 (1 95 3) : 6 1-6 2; a nd J ud ith B low Williams , T he E sta blis hmen t o f B ritis h Commerc e w ith

Argentina, Hispanic American H is to ri ca l Review 8 , n o. 2 ( 19 35 ): 4 6-4 9.

3 3Z am ora to Marc , Mon tev id eo , Ju ly 2 9,1 807 , file 9 ; N ovem ber 2 5,1 80 7, file 1 3.

34

Anto nio L op es d e L (?) to Marc , Mon tev id eo , N ov em ber 4 , 1 80 7, an d M ig uel d e

C ab ra l lOMa rc , November 1 1, 1 80 7, file 1 3; Sos a to Ma rc , Colo nia , Dec embe r 1 0, 1 80 7, file

14; and Zam ora lO M arc, M ontevideo, July 29,1807, file 9. [ se han denudado de su velam en y

m anio bras co mo a to do . ]

3 5Ma rc to Chopite a, Bue no s A ire s, D ec embe r 1 6, 1 80 7, file 1 4; Sos a to Ma rc , Colo nia,

A ugu st 2 0, 1 80 7, file 1 0.

3 6Marc to Maza, B uen os A ires, F eb ru ary 2 6,1 80 7, an d Maza to Marc , C rd ob a,

F eb ru ar y 1 6, 1 80 7, file 4 .

3 7V ice nte Rod rg ue z Romano to Ma rc , P la ta , November 2 6, 1 80 7, f ile 1 3; Ma rc to

Rod rg ue z Romano, Dec embe r 2 6, 1 80 7, file 1 4.

3 8Ju an P alo mo y S ierra lOMa rc , P oto s, Jan uary 2 7,18 07 , file 3 ; an d Marc to P alo mo

y S ie rra , B uen os A ire s, F eb ru ar y 2 6, 1 80 7, file 4 . [ q ua tr o c hu rla s d e C as ca rilla q ue c on tie ne n

6 00 lib ra s d e d ic ha e sp ec ie ] [ lo s m alv ad os Yng le se s ]




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collected in M endoza and Chile.39 A lthough M arc and his com mercial agents, panicularly in the

B anda O riental, m ay have ttaded w ith the B ritish, the cost of the m ilitary intervention to M arc del

Pont w as m uch higher than the benefits. N o m ore evident w as this than in the irretrievable poltical

l os se s t ha t Ma rc and b is f el low Spani ar ds u ltima te ly suf fe re d.

M arc's initial political difficulties began 00 the B anda O riental as soon as the British had

retteated fro m Mon tevid eo . A pparently , h e, a b ro th er, and h is ag en ts h ad b een n vo lv ed in the sale or

c ha rte r o f a n umbe r o f riv erb oa ts to B ritis h merc ha nts . T he b oa t c ap ta n s h ad n ot re ce iv ed th e e xp ec te d

recom pense and com plained by the new viceroy, Santiago Lniers, the hero of the reconquest, of

Ma rc's i nvol vemen t i n f al se c on tta cts w it h B rit is h sub je cts . New poli tic al f or ce s i n th e Mont ev id eo

town c ou nc il a nd among d ef en se a uth oritie s a ttemp te d to p un is h th os e in ha bita nts who h ad d ea lt w ith

th e B ritish. M arc , a S pan ish m erch an t w ho w an ted freer ttad e at Mon tev id eo , n ow fo un d him self at

o dd s w ith th e Spa nis h n av al c ommanda nt

(Comandant e d e Marino) ,

who sup po ne d g re ate r wartim e

restrictions.40 D espite his financial contribution to the defense of the R o de la P lata, M arc and his

a ge nts in Monte vid eo h ad b een c ompromis ed b y tr ad in g w ith th e e nemy .

T HE B RE AK DO WN O F E MPIR E

If th e B ritish in vasio n o f th e R o d e la P lata h ad w eak en ed th e co mm ercial an d p olitical p ositio ns

o f th e S pan iard s, th en N ap oleon 's inv asion o f S pain an d h is captu re o f the roy al fam ly early in 1 80 8

p ro vo ke d th e fin al b re ak down o f emp r eo Napoleo n ev en tu ally c lo se d Spa nis h p or ts to tra de , s ev erin g

the already-dam aged links to European m arkets on w hich S panish m erchants like M arc had based

th er co mm ercial s up erio rity in th e Am ericas. O ne o f Marc's S pan ish co nn ectio ns in Mlag a even

drected M arc to diven his trade to G reat B ritain. Please do m e the favor of rem itting as soon as

p ossible m y p on io n of the carg o to Messrs. G ord on Murph y an d C o. in L on do n, th e Mlag a m erchan t

requested, w ho w ill take care to send m e the proceeds w ith the least charge possible; m eanw hile I

flatter m yself th at th e sales w ill b e so adv an tag eo us th at th ey w ill b e able to su stain th e d elay in th eir

c om ing in to my pos se ss ion.

41

In B uen os A res, M arc d el P on t also w as soo n to ex perien ce w artim e

unpleasantries.

T his S pan ish m erch an t an d official of th e C onso lid aci n d e V ales w ou ld 'lo se con tto l o f h is ro yal

m onies as a result of the em erging Creole conttol of politicallife in Buenos A ires. The political

s tru gg le th at fo llowe d th e v ic to ry o ve r th e B ritis h in va de rs b eg an to s ep ara te th e Spa nis h-b om a nd th e

n ativ e-b om . G iv en th at th e d ura ble m etr op olita n Spa in a t th e s ame tim e was c on fro ntin g--w ith little

s ucc es s a t fir st--its own war fo r in de pen de nc e, w rite s Halp ern Dongh i, th e war in th e R o d e la P la ta

was in essence a civil war. 42 Perhaps M arc himself had brought on his own trouble, in a way, by

requesting that V iceroy L iniers return the 70,300-peso loan that M arc earlier had m ade to the

in terim g ovem or. H av in g leam ed fro m an in fo rm an t in C hile th at M arc m ig ht b e h old ing add itio nal

3 9Marc to S r. R eg en te G ov em ad or, B ueno s A ires, n .d., file 3 ; M aza to Marc ,

Cr do ba , April1 6, 1 80 7, file 6 .

4 0zam ora to Marc , Mon tev ideo , O ctob er 2 8,1 80 7, fo ld er 1 2; Ju an d e Dul6 n to Marc ,

N ov em ber 4 , 1 80 7, Z am ora to Marc , Mon tevid eo , N ov em ber 2 5 an d 2 8, 1 807 , fo lder 13 .

4 1S ee S n ch ez d e Q .S .M .R . (?) to Marc , M lag a, Jan uary 1 4, 1 81 0, fo ld er 1 7;

D ecem ber 7 ,1 81 0 an d Aug ust 1 9,1 81 1, fo lder 1 8. S uch co ntact betw een S panish m erch an ts an d

G re at B rita in was h ar dly n ew , fo r it p re da te d th e Napole on ic c on flic ts a nd th en was re es ta blis he d

in 1 80 8. S ee Jo hn C on stan s e D av ie, L ette rs fr om Par ag ua y Des cr ib in g th e S ettlem en ts o /

Monte vid eo a nd Bueno s A ir es (L on do n, 1 80 5), p . 8 7.

42Tu lio Ha lper n Donghi, Mi lita riz ac in r evolu ciona ria e n Buenos Air es , 1806-1865 , in

E l o ca so d el o rd en c olo nia l e n H is pa no amr ic a,

c omp. T ulio Halp ern Dongh i (Bue no s A ire s:

E dito ria l S ud Americ an a, 1 97 8), p p. 1 36 -1 37 . [ Dad o q ue la E sp af ta m etro po lita na e sta ble

a fr on ta ndo a l m ismo tiempo -- con poco xi to a l p ri nc ip io -- su p ropia gue rr a de independencia , la

g uerra en el R o de la P lata fu e en esen cia u na g uerra civ il. ]




13/15

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fu nd s b elo ng in g to th e Con so lid atio n, V ic ero y L in ie rs in ste ad d emandOOa s trict a cc ou ntin g. Ma rc

com pliO O, adm itting that he stiB had 31,000 pesos in cash, w hereupon, Liniers cited the great

em erg encies o f th e tim e ( g ran des urgen cias d e d a ) in o rd erin g th at M arc d eliv er th e rem ain ing

m on ey to th e treasu ry at B ueno s A ires. M arc w as un ab le to w ith stan d th e p olitical p ressure becau se

L in ie rs a t th e tim e was s up po rte d b y ris in g C re ole m ilitia le ad ers . Y et h e remin dOO th e v ic ero y th at th e

m on ey b elo ng OO to S pain an d o ug ht to b e rem itted fo r S pain's s up erio r n eed s w henev er Marc's

superiors demanded it.43 In fact, within two months of M arc's losing control of the m onies, he

received an order authorized by the C ouncil of Castile (Consejo de Castilla) for the im mediate

rem ission to S pain of all funds belonging to R eal C aja de C onsolidacin. B ut the viceregal govem -

m en t already h ad sp en t the m on ey , as its o utlay s lO co lo nial m ilitias 1 00 b y C reoles liIce C om elio d e

S aa ve dra a nd Manue l B elg ra no were in cre as in g s te ad ily . L in ie rs w ro te to Ma rc :4 4

W hen th ere are fu nds in th e g eneral T reasu ry o f the V icero yalty , after attend ing to

th e em erg en cies o f th e R oy al F in ance, I w ill disp en se. . . lO y ou th e on e h un drOOan d

on e th ou san d eig ht hu nd red six ty -five p eso s fo ur an d o ne-h alf reales, belon gin g to

the Royal House of the Consolidation, which at the com mand of this Superior

Auth ority is tra ns fe rre d lO th e s ame g en era l T re as ury , a nd I h av e p re -a rra ngOO it fo r

y ou a cc or din g lOyour le tte r o f th e 2 0th o f th is mon th .

The fall of Liniers in 1809 and his replacem ent by the pro-S panish C isneros did not alleviate

Ma rc 's c ommerc ial trib ula tio ns . F ir st, E ng la nd 's m ilita ry d efe at d urin g th e in va sio n d id n ot p rev en t

th e B ritish m erch an ts from con tin uin g to trad e in th e R o d e la P lata. In 1 809 , w hile G reat B ritain an d

t he Span ish independence f ighte rs we re a ll iOOaga in st F ra nc e, th e B rit is h had in tr oducOOmore th an 1 .2

m illion w orth of goods into the Ro de la Plata. Spanish merchants suffered fram the overseas

co mp etitio n and d em an ded th e exp ulsio n o f th e B ritish . H ow ev er, V icero y C isn ero s sorely n eed ed

n ew re ven ue s: b ec au se h e was u nab le to re str ic t B ritis h tra de w ith ou t r ed uc in g c us toms re ve nu es th at

financO O his govem ment. A subsequent C isneros order to expel the fifty B ritish m erchants still

re sid en t in Bue no s A ire s an d Monte vid eo was n ev er c ar rie d o ut, b ec au se p olitic al ev en ts to oIc p r ec e-

den ce.4 5 T he con tin uing p olitical crisis p rev en ted th e v icero y fro m rep ay in g Marc 's em erg en cy

loans.

F in al C reo le po litical v icto ry , m ark ed b y th e the tak eov er o f

porteo

go vem men t in th e

cabildo

abierto

on M ay 10, 1810 by m ilitia officer C om elio de S aavedra further eroded M arc's claim for

repaym ent of his loan to the govem ment. W ithin tw o w eeIcs of the establishm ent of thecabildo

abierto,

Saa ve dra h im se lf re bu ffe d a fin al ef fo rt b y Ma rc to r eg ain th e mon ie s o f th e Con so lid ac i n.4 6

C learly , th e C reo le po litical fo rces w ere n o lo ng er w illin g to allow co lo nial tax es lO b e sent lO S pain.

A n additional elem ent entered into the junta's decision to penalize the w ealthier Spanish-bom

merc ha nts liI ceMa rc d el PonL C re ole p olitic ia ns wer e a pp ea lin g lO membe rs o f th e

clases plebeyas,

so me eigh t th ou san d o f w ho m were u nd er arm s in th e city o f B uen os A ires alo ne. T hey rOO istrib uted

wea lth fram th e mos t e le va tOOso cia l g ro up s lO t he lowe st. In g ain in g g re ate r c on tro l o ve r fin an ces an d

4 3See th e c or re sp on de nc e b etween Ma rc an d L in ie rs o f Octo be r 1 80 8, fo ld er 1 6.

4 4Ma rc to L in ie rs , B ue no s A ire s, D ec embe r 2 0,1 80 8, a nd L in ie rs lOMa rc , Bue no s

A ire s, D ec embe r 2 4, 1 80 8, f old er 1 6.

4 5Doro th y Bume Goe bel, B ritis h T ra de to th e Spa nis h Colo nie s, 1 79 6-1 82 3,

American

Hi stor ica l Rev iew

43, n o. 2 (J an ua ry 1 93 8): 3 09 -3 10 ; Cuc co re se a nd Pan ettie ri,

Argentina.

manual d e h is to ria econm ica, pp. 1 54 , 1 69 ; J o hn Lyn ch , The Span ish Amer ican Revolut ions.

1808-1826 (N ew York : W . W . Norto n & C o., 1 97 3), p . 4 7; G erm n O . E . T jarIcs a nd A licia

Vidaurreta, E l c omer cio in gl s y e l c on tr ab an do : N ue vo s a sp ec to s e n e l e stu dio d e la p oltic a

e co nm ic a en e l R o de la P la ta . 1 807 -1 8lO

(B ue no s A ir es : P ub lis he d b y Auth or , 1 96 2), p . 2 1.

4 6C om elio d e S aav ed ra to Marc , Ju ne 8 ,18 10 , an d Marc lOS aav ed ra, B uen os A ires,

Ju ne 1 4, 1 81 0, fo ld er 1 6.

http:// lanic.utexas.edu/project/etext/ll ilas/tpla/8714.pdf Jonathan C. BrownDecline and Fall of the Spanish Merchants at Buenos Aires



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t ax atio n, th e n ew c re ole p olit ic ia ns w ere e ng ag in g i n a p ro ce ss o f s ta te re ce nt ra liz atio n w it hi n th e c ity

of B uenos A ires. P art of that process involved rem oving the control of public m onies from S panish

merchants and from semiofficial tax farmers.47 And Marc had served in both capacities.

S im ulta neo usly , the re bellio n of th e C re o le s a nd th eir p le beian follow ers b eg an to de stro y M arc 's

com mercial netw ork w ithin the hinterland of S outh A merica. M ilitary uprisings interrupted trade

th ro ug h th e in te rio r to P oto s, a nd M arc 's S pa nish k in fle d fro m C rd ob a a nd M en doz a a nd later fro m

S an tia go, L im a, A lto P er , an d ultim ate ly M ontev id eo. C om m en ting o n th e so cial ch ao s th at re su lte d

fro m th e po litic al b re ak dow n, o ne B ritish re sid en t co ntra ste d th e o nce pro sp erou s

estancias

of the

B an da O ri en ta l 1 0 th e d is tre ss a nd w re tc he dn es s an d th e s ca tte rin g o f th e g re at h erd s e ffe cte d b y th e

b and itti of g ue rrilla lea de r Jo s G erva sio A rtiga s.4 8 T he w ars of ind epe nd en ce w ere re du cing th e

m ig hty c ol on ia l e co nomy to ru in .

L ik e m any o th er S pa niard s, M arc soo n fled B ue no s A ire s, a ban don in g h is C re ole family . A fte r

all, although her father w as a Spaniard, M arc's w ife had been born in B uenos A ires, as M arc's

children had been.49 A son, A gustn, follow ed a

porteo

arrny in to A lto P er a nd e ve ntu ally se ttle d

dow n in Salta as a patriot m ilitary officer--not as a m erchant. It is im portant to note that A gustn, as a

C reo le , d id n ot inh erit th e in te rn atio na l soc ial c on ta cts th at his m erch an t fathe r h ad ha do In a n iron y of

em pire , th e S pa nish family of M arc d el P on t y et w as to play a ro le in im pe ria l a ffa irs in th e A m erica s.

F erd in an d V II ap pointed a y oun ger b rothe r, G ene ra l F ra nc isco C asim iro M arc d el P ont, a s

capitn

general

of the R eino de C hile, w here in 1917 he w as defeated at the B attle of C hacabuco by G eneral

Jos d e S an M artn .

The Spanish loss of control over colonial finances in the Ro de la Plata-as M arc had lost 101,000

p eso s o f the C onso lid atio n fun ds-sig na le d th e e nd of tw o an d o ne -ha lf c en tu rie s of S pan ish po litic al

h eg emony . The Euro pe an wars h ad d es tro ye d t he c ommerc ia l a nd p ol itic al c on ne cti on s o f S pa ni ard s.

M arc del Pont had m aintained connections based on kinship and S panish birth am ong m erchants,

b on di ng v ari ou s p ar ts o f emp ire in to a who le , a nd o th er S pa nis h o ffi ci al s fo r g en era tio ns h ad mult ip lie d

these sam e kinds of colonial tieso D estruction of these S panish social bonds ended the colonial era.

E ven those S panish-born m erchants like the A nchorenas and A lzagas, the last of w hom , like M arc,

fle d into e xile , w ere a ble to be qu ea th to the ir so ns on ly a m uch -re stricted loc al c om m erc ia l n etw ork .5 0

A lthough the British, G erm ans, A mericans, and French after 1810 had the necessary com mand of

m arkets and capital to reconnect B uenos A ires to E urope, they w ere unable to reconstruct the social

connections to Peru, Chile, Bolivia, and Paraguay that the Spaniards had m aintained during the

co lo nia l pe riod o E ve n C re o le s w ere u na ble to re esta blish th ose c on tin enta l n etw orks. T hey sim ply

lacked the ties of kinship and regional origin of the fleeing Spaniards-a fact that undoubtedly

c on trib ut ed to th e p oli tic al d ec en tra li za ti on a nd e co nom ic d ec ay o f th e p os t-in de pe nd en ce e ra i n L atin

A m eric a. In th e R o d e la P la ta , th e C re ole p ro ge ny o f th e v ic ere ga l c om m erc ia l elite th erefo re m ove d

into ca ttle ra ising .5 1 B uen os A ire s a nd S ou th A m eric a h ad e ntere d a n ew a ge.

4 7Ha lp er n Donghi , M i li ta ri za cin r evoluc io na ri a en Buenos A i re s, p p. 1 57 -158 ; and

T ulio H alp ern D on gh i, uerra y

finanzas en los orgenes del estado argentino (1791-1850)

(B ue no s A ire s: E dit ori al d e B el gra no , 1 98 2), p p. 1 5,8 8.

48Mawe,

Tra ve ls i n t he I nt er io r o f Braz il,

pp. 1 7- 18 .

4 91 n 1 82 2, Ma rc 's w ife o nc e a ga in p etit io ne d th e g ov ernmen t o f B ueno s A ire s fo r

re pa yment o f Ma rc 's 1 01 ,OOO- pe so lo an , w h ic h t he g ov ernmen t d ec lin ed to d o. S ee G arc a t o

Francisca V ivar de M arc, N ovem ber 28 and 30, 1822, folder 21. O n the fam ily of M arc del

Pont, see Vicen teOsvaldoCuto lo ,Nuevo diccionario biogrf ico argentino (1750-1930)(Buenos

Air es : Ed it or ia l E lche s, 1 968) , p p. 3 91 -393 .

5 0R ob in so n, T he Me rc ha nts o fP os t-In de pe nd en ce B ueno s A ire s, p p. 1 24 , 1 27 .

51

Lu is A lb er to Romero, Bueno s A i re s: l a s oc iedad c ri ol la , 1 810- 1850 ,

Rev is ta d e

Indias, 41 , nos. 163-164(1981): 146;Vera Bl innReber ,British MercantileHou ses i n uenos




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APPENDIX

Siendo ya muy repetidas las instancias que se promueven sobre el modo de recaudar las

a nua lida de s q ue de ben sa tisfa ce rse po r lo s P rov isto s e n D ig nida de s, C an on gia s, y P re ve nda s d e las

y

g le sia s d el R ey no, se ha ce su mamen te p re ciso e sta ble cer un m to do q ue sirv a d e re gla ge ne ra l e n la

m ateria y evite al m ism o tiem po la reiteracin de iguales controversias, con que despus de ser

perjudicado el R am o de la pronta percepcin de sus legtim os ingresos, se em barazan tam bin con

freguencia las atenciones de esta Superioridad y las de los dem s Jefes de las Provincias del V ir-

re yn ato , h e de cla ra do c on ta r ju sto o bje to qu e tod o In dividu o q ue po r raz n de h ab er sid o pre se nta do

p ara a lg un a D ig nid ad , C an on gia , o P re ve nd a d eb a s atis fa ce r l a a nu ali da d c orre sp on die nte o p or q ua rta s

partes or por octabas, segn las resoluciones que se han recivido de la Com isin guvem atiba de

C onsolidacin, no podr ni percivir integram ente su renta para verificar por si m ism o el pago de la

a nu alid ad, sin o q ue en e l a cto d e lo s re pa rto s q ue e n ca da T erc io de l a o se p rac tic ase n, se de ber h ace r

descuento de lo que por aquel derecho le toque contribuir, para lo qual el Contador de D iezm os ya

d eb er lle va r form ad as la s P la nilla s re spe ctib as d el ha be r d e ca da p artic ip e e n e l m ism o re pa rto , y d e la

cantidad a que es responsable para la expuesta anualidad, y reunidas todas las que se descuente se

p asar n tambie n en e l m ism o ac to a lo s' R ea le s C aja s, d e do nde c on in te rv en ci n d e d ic ho C on ta dor de

D iezm os y Q uedando en ellas la devida constancia o las recibir el Individuo que para el efecto haya

n om bra do e l R ec eptor G ra l de lo s C aud ale s d e C onso lida ci n D on V entura M igu el M arc o la s d irigir

a poder de este el m ism o C ontador de D iezm os segn se hubieren puesto de acuerdo, dando siem pre

n otic ia a l resp ec tib o G ov em ad or Inte nd en te o Je fe q ue e jerc ie se su s fu ncion es, p ara q ue po r sup arte la

comuniqu e t amb in a e st a Sup er io ri dad.

E l M arqu s de S ob remon te to V en tu ra M ig ue l M arc d el P on t, B ue nos A ire s, N ov em ber 15 ,1 806 , file

2 , Pap ele s, V en tu ra M ig ue l Mar c6 d el Pon t, Ben so n Lati n Americ an C olle ctio n, U niv ers ity o f T ex as a t

Austin.

Lue go q ue h ay a fo ndo s e n la T esorera g ral. de V irreina to , de sp u s d e ate nd er a la s urge ncias de la

R l. H ac ie nda , dispo ndr , qu e co mo se ofre ci a V d., se le reinteg re n lo s c ie nto s y u n m il oc ho cien to s

sesenta y cinco pesos quatro y m edio reales, pertenecientes a la R l. C asa de C onsolidacin, que por

d ispo sic i n de e sta S up erio rid ad tie ne e ntreg ad os en la m ism a T eso re ra ge ne ral, y lo pre ve ng o a V d.

e n c on te xta ci n a s u o fic io d e 2 0 d el c orrie nte .

S an tia go de L inie rs to M arc , B ue nos A ire s, D ec em be r 2 4, 18 08, folde r 1 6.

Aires. 1810-1880

(C amb rid ge , Ma ss : H arv ar d Uni ve rs it y P re ss , 1 97 9), p . 1 43 ; J o s M . Ma rilu z

Urquijo,

Estado e indu st ria ( 1810 -1862)

(B ue no s A ire s: E dic io ne s Macc hi , 1 96 9), p . 1 1; H . S .

Fems, Brita in a nd A rg en tin a in th e N in ete en th C en tu ry (O xfo rd : C la re nd on P re ss , 1 96 0), p p. 6 4-

65 .



Decline and Fall of Spanish Merchants in Buenos Aires

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