Bandit or Hero? Historiographic interpretations of Andrés Guacurarí in the Works of Manuel Florencio Mantilla, Hernán Félix Gómez and the Board of Historical Studies of Misiones

Abstract

Andrés Guacurarí had an important political and military participation during the second decade of the 19th century in the territories that previously made up the Guaraní Jesuit Missions. Nevertheless, later historians studied his actions from various points of view: some described him as a savage bandit, while others positioned him as a hero with national relevance. This article recovers the visions of Manuel Florencio Mantilla, Hernán Félix Gómez and the perspective of the Board of Historical Studies of Misiones. Based on historiographic analysis, we seek to highlight the tensions that exist in the dispute over the construction of a vision of the past.