ENCYCLOPAEDIA of Rebellions

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San Salvador insurrection 1811

Synopsis
The events in San Salvador, by then an Intendancy subordinated to the Captaincy General of Guatemala, had a dual rebellious dimension. The first, central to the foundational discourse of the Salvadoran nation, corresponds to the actions instigated by the creole groups of merchants and landowners of San Salvador, between November 5 and 7, 1811. Facing a situation of economic decline due to the decrease in indigo production and their subjection to the oligarchies of the city of Guatemala, these elites also harbored political resentment towards the monopolization of public offices by the ‘peninsulares’ (Spaniards born in Spain). Upon hearing the news of the arrest of two Salvadoran clergymen in the city of Guatemala, Manuel and Nicolás Aguilar, they organized a cabildo in which they elected a new intendant and a new municipal council, in addition to abolishing taxes and monopolies. On the other hand, there was the popular rebellion, instigated by the hardship of the plebeian sectors, resentful of tax increases and the expansion of monopolies to products such as tobacco. The combination of this panorama of deterioration in the popular economy along with news of political changes in Spain, which provided for the abolition of the tribute to indigenous peoples and the distribution of land, led to outbreaks of revolt in numerous localities and the participation of the common people in the events of San Salvador. However, the elites managed to control this discontent by combining persuasion and repression.
Additional info

Starting date: . Ending: . Duration: 3 weeks. Name in sources: Rebelión de San Salvador; Primer Grito de Independencia de Centroamérica. Location: San Salvador and other towns and pueblos (Santa Ana, Santiago Nonualco, Usulután, Mepatán, Chalatenango...) Country (current): El Salvador. Monarchy: Spanish. Main participants: Indigenous, Local elites, Settlers/Colonists. Number of participants: >500. Main reasons & motivations: Economic, Fiscal, Political. Leadership: José Matías Delgado, Manuel José Arce, and others. Relevance: high.

Further reading
ALFREDO HERRERA, Sajid (2016). “1811. Relectura de los levantamientos y protestas en la provincia de San Salvador”, La Universidad, 16: 119-137. LÓPEZ, Eugenia (2014). “Los motines populares de noviembre de 1811 contra el despotismo y el “mal gobierno” provincial y local. Una perspectiva diferente”, Revista Humanidades, 3: 23-50. MONTERROSA, Gerardo (2011). “¿Primer grito de independencia? Breves consideraciones sobre la visión nacionalista del levantamiento de 1811 en la Provincia de San Salvador”, Revista Realidad, 130: 511-527.
Cite this entry

Rivas, Andrés Severo Antón (2024). "San Salvador insurrection 1811", in J. V. Serrão and M. S. Cunha (coord), Rebellions in the Early Modern Iberian World. http://atlas.cidehusdigital.uevora.pt/revolt/san-salvador-insurrection-1811/ (accessed on 18 Março 2024).