May Revolution

In May 1810 Buenos Aires deposed the Spanish viceroy and created a local junta, opening the road to Argentine independence.

Overview

News that Napoleonic forces had seized Seville and dissolved the Spanish junta destroyed viceregal legitimacy in the River Plate. A week of civic pressure, cabildo debates, and crowd demonstrations in the Plaza de Mayo forced Viceroy Cisneros from office on 25 May 1810. The Primera Junta claimed to rule in the name of the captive King Ferdinand VII, but in practice launched self-government, summoning deputies from the provinces and building an army. Formal independence followed in 1816. Celebrated as the birth of Argentina, the May Revolution also became the model for other Spanish American cities that replaced colonial authorities with home rule juntas between 1810 and 1811.