José Gervasio Artigas

Father of the Nation of Uruguay

José Gervasio Artigas was a soldier and statesman born in Montevideo on June 19, 1764, and died on September 23, 1850.^[1][2] He is regarded as a national hero in Uruguay and the Father of the Nation.^[1] His military career began in 1797 when he joined the Corps of Blandengues as a lieutenant.^[3][2]

Last updated 2026-09-30 from the source article.

Quick Facts

Born: 19 June 1764
Died: 23 September 1850
Burial place: Plaza Independencia
Birthplace: Montevideo, Viceroyalty of Peru
Place of death: Asunción, Paraguay
Nickname: Karaí-Guasú
Allegiance: United Provinces of the Río de la Plata
Service years: 1797–1820

Facts from the source article.

Life and work

He refused to submit to the strict discipline of the Colegio de San Bernardino, where his parents had enrolled him for religious studies.^[4] After coming of age, he became involved in cattle smuggling, which made him a wanted man.^[5][6] Martín José Artigas and Francisca Antonia Arnal, a wealthy couple, were the parents of José Gervasio Artigas.^[7][2] His paternal grandfather was from Zaragoza, his paternal grandmother was born in Buenos Aires, and his maternal grandmother was born in Tenerife.^[7][2]

A bounty was placed for his killing, and in 1797 the viceroy arranged a pardon through Artigas's family, requiring him to enlist in the Blandengues corps as a lieutenant.^[6][3]

What the cited sources add

A source on Artigas's grandparents states that his paternal grandfather Juan Antonio Artigas was born in Zaragoza in 1693.^[2] The same source notes that his paternal grandmother Ignacia Carrasco De Melo was born in Buenos Aires in 1702.^[2] The baptism record shows he was baptized on June 21, 1764, in the parish church of Montevideo.^[2] He lived for nearly a year in close contact with the naturalist Félix de Azara, whose ideas Artigas later assimilated.^[2]

He died on September 23, 1850, probably of senility and without a defined illness.^[2] His maternal grandmother was a native of Tenerife.^[2] On March 10, 1797, he began his military service by joining the Blandengues corps, which performed police and surveillance duties.^[2]

References

Wikipedia, "José Gervasio Artigas" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Martin, "Artigas, the Founder of Uruguayan Nationality", The Hispanic American Historical Review, 1939, p. 2–15 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
Los abuelos de José Artigas (The grandparents of José Artigas). Accessed October 5, 2010 at 11:35.. facts only, no text reused. losabuelosdemihistoria.blogspot.com
Wikipedia, "José Gervasio Artigas" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Luna, pp. 31–32 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
Wikipedia, "José Gervasio Artigas" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Luna, p. 26 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
Wikipedia, "José Gervasio Artigas" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Luna, p. 27 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
Wikipedia, "José Gervasio Artigas" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Luna, p. 31 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
Wikipedia, "José Gervasio Artigas" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Martin, "Artigas, the Founder of Uruguayan Nationality", The Hispanic American Historical Review, 1939, p. 2–15; Bobb, "Jose Artigas", The Americas, 1947, p. 195–222; Los abuelos de José Artigas (The grandparents of José Artigas). Accessed October 5, 2010 at 11:35.; Luna, p. 25 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article José Gervasio Artigas (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.