Juan Moreira
Encyclopedia
Juan Moreira is a well-known figure in the history of Argentina
, an outlaw, gaucho
and folk-hero, was indeed one of the more renowned Argentinian rural bandits.
. The first thirty years of his life were relatively uneventful, working in rural areas until he could buy his own ranch, some cattle, and land for farming. One characteristic that set him apart from others was that he rarely drank. Moreira devoted his free time to perfecting his skill on the guitar, which attracted the attention of Vicenta, the daughter of a local rancher. She fell in love with Moreira and eventually married him, with the full consent of her father.
Shortly after Moreira married Vicenta, his troubles began. The Deputy Mayor of the area, known as Don Francisco, had also fallen in love with La Vicenta, so as a form of vengeance he began charging Moreira fines for everything he could think of, real or imaginary. The first thing he did was charge Moreira 500 peso
s for having his wedding celebration without proper authorization.
About that time, Moreira had lent Mr. Sardetti, a grocery-store owner, the sum of 10,000 pesos to buy merchandise. Fed up with asking for his money back, Moreira went to the Deputy Mayor, without any documentation, as was the custom at that time between men of their word, and reported what had happened in hopes that the Deputy Mayor would insist that Sardetti pay him back. It is unclear if Sardetti and Don Francisco were conspiring against Moreira, but Sardetti denied the story, and Moreira was thrown in jail for 48 hours for a form of attempted robbery.
duel at Sardetti's grocery store. Returning home after a night of wandering, he found Don Francisco and four other soldiers waiting to arrest him. He resisted, and during the fight, Don Francisco and two soldiers were killed.
There began the unhappy part of Moreira's life. Extremely able in knifefights, Moreira won them all, even against more than one person. He gained such fame for this that men looked for him and picked fights with him to gain the glory of defeating him, but he never lost. He avoided fights whenever he could, and only killed after repeated provocation and in self-defense. Eventually, he served as a bodyguard for powerful politicians who promised to clean Moreira's reputation, but they never did so.
It is said that Moreira never took the saddle off his horse, just in case he had to make a quick escape. He spent much of this part of his life wandering through different towns and cities of the Province of Buenos Aires, Argentina, including Navarro
, Las Heras
, Lobos, Veinticinco de Mayo and the lands of the Indian Cacique Coliqueo.
, governor of the Province of Buenos Aires, to send a posse
led by Commander Bosch from the police department in Buenos Aires
to arrest Moreira. They surrounded the grocery and saloon (pulpería) named La Estrella where Moreira was holed up. Moreira fought like a wild animal against the police, and he was at the point of leaping over the wall which separated him from his horse when he was bayonet
in the left lung by one of the officers, Sergeant Chirino. Moreira managed to shoot at Chirino, who lost an eye, as well as to injure one other officer before he died. He was survived by his wife and a child, also named Juan. He was buried at the Lobos cemetery.
. His life was laden with the violence and injustice which typified the unfair treatment received by the gaucho
s, treatment which led to his death. His skull and some personal belongings can be seen at Juan Domingo Perón Museum. His life inspired a very popular novel by romantic
author Eduardo Gutiérrez
, which in turn inspired at least four biographical films entitled Juan Moreira. The most important of these films, Juan Moreira (1973 film)
was directed by Leonardo Favio
, starring Rodolfo Bebán as the title character. The night of his death was fictionalized by Jorge Luis Borges
in a short story, La noche de los dones.
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, an outlaw, gaucho
Gaucho
Gaucho is a term commonly used to describe residents of the South American pampas, chacos, or Patagonian grasslands, found principally in parts of Argentina, Uruguay, Southern Chile, and Southern Brazil...
and folk-hero, was indeed one of the more renowned Argentinian rural bandits.
Early life
Moreira was born in the administrative area of La Matanza, in the Province of Buenos Aires, ArgentinaArgentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
. The first thirty years of his life were relatively uneventful, working in rural areas until he could buy his own ranch, some cattle, and land for farming. One characteristic that set him apart from others was that he rarely drank. Moreira devoted his free time to perfecting his skill on the guitar, which attracted the attention of Vicenta, the daughter of a local rancher. She fell in love with Moreira and eventually married him, with the full consent of her father.
Shortly after Moreira married Vicenta, his troubles began. The Deputy Mayor of the area, known as Don Francisco, had also fallen in love with La Vicenta, so as a form of vengeance he began charging Moreira fines for everything he could think of, real or imaginary. The first thing he did was charge Moreira 500 peso
Peso
The word peso was the name of a coin that originated in Spain and became of immense importance internationally...
s for having his wedding celebration without proper authorization.
About that time, Moreira had lent Mr. Sardetti, a grocery-store owner, the sum of 10,000 pesos to buy merchandise. Fed up with asking for his money back, Moreira went to the Deputy Mayor, without any documentation, as was the custom at that time between men of their word, and reported what had happened in hopes that the Deputy Mayor would insist that Sardetti pay him back. It is unclear if Sardetti and Don Francisco were conspiring against Moreira, but Sardetti denied the story, and Moreira was thrown in jail for 48 hours for a form of attempted robbery.
The Point of No Return
This situation made Moreira so angry that he swore that he would stab Sardetti for every single peso he had lost. Moreira fulfilled his oath when he killed Mr. Sardetti in a faconFacón
A facón is a fighting and utility knife widely used in Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay as the principal tool and weapon of the gaucho of the South American pampas...
duel at Sardetti's grocery store. Returning home after a night of wandering, he found Don Francisco and four other soldiers waiting to arrest him. He resisted, and during the fight, Don Francisco and two soldiers were killed.
There began the unhappy part of Moreira's life. Extremely able in knifefights, Moreira won them all, even against more than one person. He gained such fame for this that men looked for him and picked fights with him to gain the glory of defeating him, but he never lost. He avoided fights whenever he could, and only killed after repeated provocation and in self-defense. Eventually, he served as a bodyguard for powerful politicians who promised to clean Moreira's reputation, but they never did so.
It is said that Moreira never took the saddle off his horse, just in case he had to make a quick escape. He spent much of this part of his life wandering through different towns and cities of the Province of Buenos Aires, Argentina, including Navarro
Navarro, Buenos Aires
Navarro is a town in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. It is the head town of the Navarro Partido....
, Las Heras
General Las Heras, Buenos Aires
General Las Heras is a town and a municipality in the north east of the province of Buenos Aires, Argentina, 67 km from Buenos Aires City and 120 km from the provincial capital La Plata, on Provincial Route 200. It has a population of about 13,000 as per the...
, Lobos, Veinticinco de Mayo and the lands of the Indian Cacique Coliqueo.
Death
In April, 1874, Casimiro Villamayor, the justice of the peace in Lobos, was ordered by Mariano AcostaMariano Acosta
Mariano Acosta was an Argentine lawyer and politician.-Life and times:Acosta was born in 1825 to Magdalena Santa Coloma Lezica, the daughter of a prominent Buenos Aires Province landowner, and José Francisco Acosta, from Corrientes Province...
, governor of the Province of Buenos Aires, to send a posse
Posse comitatus (common law)
Posse comitatus or sheriff's posse is the common-law or statute law authority of a county sheriff or other law officer to conscript any able-bodied males to assist him in keeping the peace or to pursue and arrest a felon, similar to the concept of the "hue and cry"...
led by Commander Bosch from the police department in Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
to arrest Moreira. They surrounded the grocery and saloon (pulpería) named La Estrella where Moreira was holed up. Moreira fought like a wild animal against the police, and he was at the point of leaping over the wall which separated him from his horse when he was bayonet
Bayonet
A bayonet is a knife, dagger, sword, or spike-shaped weapon designed to fit in, on, over or underneath the muzzle of a rifle, musket or similar weapon, effectively turning the gun into a spear...
in the left lung by one of the officers, Sergeant Chirino. Moreira managed to shoot at Chirino, who lost an eye, as well as to injure one other officer before he died. He was survived by his wife and a child, also named Juan. He was buried at the Lobos cemetery.
Legacy
Juan Moreira is one of the most important figures in the popular history of ArgentinaArgentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
. His life was laden with the violence and injustice which typified the unfair treatment received by the gaucho
Gaucho
Gaucho is a term commonly used to describe residents of the South American pampas, chacos, or Patagonian grasslands, found principally in parts of Argentina, Uruguay, Southern Chile, and Southern Brazil...
s, treatment which led to his death. His skull and some personal belongings can be seen at Juan Domingo Perón Museum. His life inspired a very popular novel by romantic
Romanticism
Romanticism was an artistic, literary and intellectual movement that originated in the second half of the 18th century in Europe, and gained strength in reaction to the Industrial Revolution...
author Eduardo Gutiérrez
Eduardo Gutiérrez
Eduardo Gutiérrez was an Argentine writer. His works of gauchoesque nature acquired great popularity, specially Juan Moreira, a novel successfully adapted to the stage in 1884 that popularized the gaucho as a protagonist in Argentine theatre.-References:...
, which in turn inspired at least four biographical films entitled Juan Moreira. The most important of these films, Juan Moreira (1973 film)
Juan Moreira (film)
Juan Moreira is a 1973 Argentine film based on the life of Juan Moreira directed by Leonardo Favio.-Cast:*Rodolfo Bebán ... Juan Moreira*Pablo Cumo ... Caudillo Acosta*Osvaldo De la Vega*Augusto Kretschmar*Alba Múgica ... The Dead...
was directed by Leonardo Favio
Leonardo Favio
Leonardo Favio is an Argentine singer, actor, film director and screenwriter...
, starring Rodolfo Bebán as the title character. The night of his death was fictionalized by Jorge Luis Borges
Jorge Luis Borges
Jorge Francisco Isidoro Luis Borges Acevedo , known as Jorge Luis Borges , was an Argentine writer, essayist, poet and translator born in Buenos Aires. In 1914 his family moved to Switzerland where he attended school, receiving his baccalauréat from the Collège de Genève in 1918. The family...
in a short story, La noche de los dones.
External links
- Online newspaper article on Moreira (Spanish) and main source