May 25 is celebrated as el Día de la Revolución de Mayo in Argentina, marking the creation of the First Junta in 1810, which took over the government of Buenos Aires from the Spanish Viceroyalty. The May Revolution was a result of unrest among the population of Buenos Aires after news of Napoleon Bonaparte’s invasion of Spain and the overthrow of the Spanish king. The Cabildo Abierto was organized to discuss the situation and demand a public city meeting with the viceroy, which eventually led to the formation of the First Junta. The events leading up to May 25 are celebrated as the Semana de Mayo. The national holiday is celebrated by taking time off work, spending time with family, and eating traditional food like locro.
May 25 is an important date in Argentina because it marks the annual celebration of the May Revolution. May 25 is known as el Día de la Revolución de Mayo, or the day of the May Revolution. More specifically, this day marks the creation of the First Junta, a local authority that took over the government of Buenos Aires from the Spanish Viceroyalty on this date in 1810.
In the year 1810, the country of Argentina, along with neighboring Bolivia, Paraguay and Uruguay, was controlled by Spain through the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata. This viceroyalty system was led by Baltasar Hidalgo de Cisneros, who was also viceroy in the city of Buenos Aires at the time. Following the news of Napoleon Bonaparte’s invasion of Spain and the overthrow of the Spanish king, unrest grew among the population of Buenos Aires.
On Friday May 18, 1810, Viceroy Cisneros attempted to calm the agitated population by making a public announcement. He demanded allegiance to the deposed king of Spain, Ferdinand VII of Bourbon. Despite Cisneros’ attempts to hide the true situation, the people of Buenos Aires, especially the Creole population known as criollos, were well versed in the desirability of changing the power structure in the city.
A secret meeting was organized to discuss the situation and the opportunity to change the political power structure in Buenos Aires. It was decided that the people would demand a public city meeting with Cisneros. This open citizen meeting would later be called the Cabildo Abierto. Two representatives were chosen to petition for the Cabildo Abierto and on Saturday May 19, 1810, the viceroy met with Juan José Castelli and Martín Rodríguez to receive the petition.
Fearing that the outcome of the Cabildo Abierto was not in his favor, Viceroy Cisneros avoided a decision. Over the next two days, Cisneros attempted to confirm if he still had support and where that support was. On Monday May 21, 1810, restless and impatient with the delay, the people manifested their discontent in the Plaza de la Victoria. This square would later become the Plaza de Mayo, home to Argentina’s government building, the famous Casa Rosada. The will of the people was clear and Cisneros authorized the Cabildo Abierto, to be held the next day.
On the 22nd, the Cabildo Abeirto began and speeches were made by prominent speakers on both sides of the issue. The archbishop of Buenos Aires, Benito de Lué, warned against sudden change. Representing the population of Argentina and the other countries under the control of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata, Juan José Castelli affirmed the need for self-government in light of the upheavals taking place in Spain. The claim was that the Viceroyalty was invalid as King Ferdinand, who had appointed the Viceroyalty, was not currently in power.
The next day the Cabildo Abierto voted and it was decided to remove Cisneros from the position of viceroy and replace his sole power with a junta composed of Cisneros and other important public representatives. Public opinion held that through rule by a junta led by Cisneros, the power dynamic would be no different from when Cisneros had been viceroy, and members of the junta were persuaded to reject their positions.
Finally, on May 25, the will of the people was enforced. Although the Cabildo Abierto had planned to enforce the Junta and reject the resignations of the appointed members, it was made clear that Cisneros no longer had any support, and the Junta he led was therefore useless. Cisneros was asked to resign completely and a new junta known as the First Junta was formed. It was called the First Junta because it was formed entirely of members of the population of Buenos Aires and free from the direct influence of the Spanish Crown. Thus, through the creation of the First Junta, Buenos Aires became the first to achieve self-government, setting an example for the other countries controlled by the Spanish Viceroyalty.
The events in the week leading up to May 25 are celebrated collectively as the Semana de Mayo, or May week. This is due to the fact that the so-called May Revolution took place within a week. Although most of the significant events began on May 18, the culmination of the May Revolution on May 25 is the day when commemorative holidays are held every year.
Argentines are likely to celebrate the national holiday by taking time off work, spending time with family, and perhaps eating locro, a traditional food eaten on many Argentine national holidays.
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