Between Unity and Fragmentation: The provincial city in the formation of States in Latin-America

Abstract

Political Historiography in Latin-America, especially the one developed during the 20th Century, has kept hidden, under some influence of the nationalism, the account of the role of the provincial cities in the formation of the states. After the dissolution of Catholic Monarchy at the beginnings of 19th Century, emptiness in the power over the territory was created which functioned as the perfect stage for disputes over diRerent political projects that had as purpose solving the main political debate at that time: What is the source of sovereignty on the absence of monarchy? Urban tradition of the Hispanic World, present in Latin-America, allowed the emergence of several provincial cities with great symbolic, politic, economic and military power. During the 19th Cen- tury, over the ruins of Catholic Monarchy, disputes between provincial cities were sig- nificant for the process of formation of the States and along with that, the foundations on which the States received the 20th Century: a collection of provincial cities that were in permanent disputes, framed within the concept of Nation State. Being so weak, the provincial cities find in Federalism the formula to control the conflicts.