Esteban de Luca
Encyclopedia
Esteban de Luca was an Argentine military officer, poet, and government official during the nation's early years.
. His mother belonged to a wealthy creole
family, and his Italian
father was a colonial administrator during the Viceroyalty of Río de la Plata. Educated at the Royal College of San Carlos
, de Luca enlisted in the newly-formed Patricios Regiment during the British invasions of the Río de la Plata
of 1806 and 1807, and attained the rank of Officer.
Shortly after these incidents, in which the invasions were thwarted, de Luca enrolled in the School of Mathematics established by Manuel Belgrano
, and became a skilled weapons engineer. He adapted designs for cannon
s, munitions, and rifle
s, copying these latter from weapons captured during the earlier conflict.
The May Revolution
of 1810 prompted the wars for independence
. The United Provinces of South America
struggled to supply their troops, however, and in 1813, the Buenos Aires Munitions Works were established by the Primera Junta
regime; de Luca was appointed director of the facility in 1814. One of only two such facilities (the other being in Tucumán
), the munitions works forged gun
s, carbine
s, sabers, cannon
, ordnance
, and horseshoe
s mainly with salvaged scrap iron and de Luca's adaptations.
De Luca was also an accomplished poet
. He wrote, among other works, odes to General José de San Martín
, as well to his victories in the battles of Chacabuco
, Maipú
, San Martín's Liberation of Peru, and in eulogy to General Manuel Belgrano
; his Marcha Patriótica was, from 1812 to 1813, the unofficial Argentine National Anthem
.
With the dissolution of the United Province, he put the munitions works at the service of the Province of Buenos Aires, and although these were destroyed shortly afterward in the Battle of Cepeda (1820)
, de Luca salvaged the facility and maintained it, albeit at minimal levels. A charge brought against him several months later of complicity in a plot by General Carlos María de Alvear
against Governor Martín Rodríguez resulted in de Luca's acquittal; the factory, however, closed.
He was among the founders of the Buenos Aires Literary Society in 1822, and wrote for the two leading Buenos Aires periodicals of the time, La Abeja and El Argos. De Luca's columns advocated at length for the westward expansion into the pampas, and he became known also for his translations of works by Italian dramatist
Vittorio Alfieri
(numerous of whose plays were then produced in Buenos Aires).
De Luca was appointed secretary to diplomatic envoy Valentín Gómez, who in 1823 was entrusted to negotiate for the return of the Banda Oriental
(Uruguay
) by the Empire of Brazil. As they returned from a May 1824 round of talks in Rio de Janeiro
, the brigantine
carrying them sank, and although Gómez survived, Esteban de Luca drowned in the Río de la Plata
at age 37.
His home in Buenos Aires' San Telmo
ward, the Casa de Esteban de Luca
, was declared a National Historic Monument in 1941.
Life and times
Esteban de Luca y Patrón was born in Buenos AiresBuenos 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...
. His mother belonged to a wealthy creole
Creole
- Languages :A Creole language is a stable, full-fledged language that originated from a pidgin or combination of other languages.Creole languages subgroups may include:* Arabic-based creole languages* Dutch-based creole languages...
family, and his Italian
Italian Argentine
An Italian Argentine is a person born in Argentina of Italian ancestry. It is estimated up to 25 million Argentines have some degree of Italian descent...
father was a colonial administrator during the Viceroyalty of Río de la Plata. Educated at the Royal College of San Carlos
Colegio Nacional de Buenos Aires
Colegio Nacional de Buenos Aires is a public high school in Buenos Aires, Argentina. In the tradition of the European gymnasium it provides a free education that includes classical languages such as Latin and Greek. The school is one of the most prestigious in Argentina...
, de Luca enlisted in the newly-formed Patricios Regiment during the British invasions of the Río de la Plata
British invasions of the Río de la Plata
The British invasions of the Río de la Plata were a series of unsuccessful British attempts to seize control of the Spanish colonies located around the La Plata Basin in South America . The invasions took place between 1806 and 1807, as part of the Napoleonic Wars, when Spain was an ally of...
of 1806 and 1807, and attained the rank of Officer.
Shortly after these incidents, in which the invasions were thwarted, de Luca enrolled in the School of Mathematics established by Manuel Belgrano
Manuel Belgrano
Manuel José Joaquín del Corazón de Jesús Belgrano , usually referred to as Manuel Belgrano, was an Argentine economist, lawyer, politician, and military leader. He took part in the Argentine Wars of Independence and created the Flag of Argentina...
, and became a skilled weapons engineer. He adapted designs for cannon
Cannon
A cannon is any piece of artillery that uses gunpowder or other usually explosive-based propellents to launch a projectile. Cannon vary in caliber, range, mobility, rate of fire, angle of fire, and firepower; different forms of cannon combine and balance these attributes in varying degrees,...
s, munitions, and rifle
Rifle
A rifle is a firearm designed to be fired from the shoulder, with a barrel that has a helical groove or pattern of grooves cut into the barrel walls. The raised areas of the rifling are called "lands," which make contact with the projectile , imparting spin around an axis corresponding to the...
s, copying these latter from weapons captured during the earlier conflict.
The May Revolution
May Revolution
The May Revolution was a week-long series of events that took place from May 18 to 25, 1810, in Buenos Aires, capital of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata, a Spanish colony that included roughly the territories of present-day Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay and Uruguay...
of 1810 prompted the wars for independence
Argentine War of Independence
The Argentine War of Independence was fought from 1810 to 1818 by Argentine patriotic forces under Manuel Belgrano, Juan José Castelli and José de San Martín against royalist forces loyal to the Spanish crown...
. The United Provinces of South America
United Provinces of South America
The United Provinces of South America was the original name of the state that emerged from the May Revolution and the early developments of the Argentine War of Independence...
struggled to supply their troops, however, and in 1813, the Buenos Aires Munitions Works were established by the Primera Junta
Primera Junta
The Primera Junta or First Assembly is the most common name given to the first independent government of Argentina. It was created on 25 May 1810, as a result of the events of the May Revolution. The Junta initially had representatives from only Buenos Aires...
regime; de Luca was appointed director of the facility in 1814. One of only two such facilities (the other being in Tucumán
Tucumán
San Miguel de Tucumán is the capital of the Tucumán Province, located in northern Argentina at from Buenos Aires. It is the fifth biggest city of Argentina after Buenos Aires, Córdoba, Rosario and Mendoza, and it is also the most important city of Northern Argentina...
), the munitions works forged gun
Gun
A gun is a muzzle or breech-loaded projectile-firing weapon. There are various definitions depending on the nation and branch of service. A "gun" may be distinguished from other firearms in being a crew-served weapon such as a howitzer or mortar, as opposed to a small arm like a rifle or pistol,...
s, carbine
Carbine
A carbine , from French carabine, is a longarm similar to but shorter than a rifle or musket. Many carbines are shortened versions of full rifles, firing the same ammunition at a lower velocity due to a shorter barrel length....
s, sabers, cannon
Cannon
A cannon is any piece of artillery that uses gunpowder or other usually explosive-based propellents to launch a projectile. Cannon vary in caliber, range, mobility, rate of fire, angle of fire, and firepower; different forms of cannon combine and balance these attributes in varying degrees,...
, ordnance
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
, and horseshoe
Horseshoe
A horseshoe, is a fabricated product, normally made of metal, although sometimes made partially or wholly of modern synthetic materials, designed to protect a horse's hoof from wear and tear. Shoes are attached on the palmar surface of the hooves, usually nailed through the insensitive hoof wall...
s mainly with salvaged scrap iron and de Luca's adaptations.
De Luca was also an accomplished poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
. He wrote, among other works, odes to General José de San Martín
José de San Martín
José Francisco de San Martín, known simply as Don José de San Martín , was an Argentine general and the prime leader of the southern part of South America's successful struggle for independence from Spain.Born in Yapeyú, Corrientes , he left his mother country at the...
, as well to his victories in the battles of Chacabuco
Battle of Chacabuco
The Battle of Chacabuco, fought during the Chilean War of Independence, occurred on February 12, 1817. The Army of the Andes of the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata led by General Captain José de San Martín defeated the Spanish force led by Rafael Maroto...
, Maipú
Battle of Maipú
The Battle of Maipú was a battle fought near Santiago, Chile on April 5, 1818 between South American rebels and Spanish royalists, during the Chilean War of Independence...
, San Martín's Liberation of Peru, and in eulogy to General Manuel Belgrano
Manuel Belgrano
Manuel José Joaquín del Corazón de Jesús Belgrano , usually referred to as Manuel Belgrano, was an Argentine economist, lawyer, politician, and military leader. He took part in the Argentine Wars of Independence and created the Flag of Argentina...
; his Marcha Patriótica was, from 1812 to 1813, the unofficial Argentine National Anthem
Argentine National Anthem
The Argentine National Anthem is the national anthem of Argentina. The name of the song originally was Marcha Patriótica , and was later renamed Canción Patriótica Nacional and finally Canción Patriótica . A copy published in 1847 called it Himno Nacional Argentino and the name has remained ever...
.
With the dissolution of the United Province, he put the munitions works at the service of the Province of Buenos Aires, and although these were destroyed shortly afterward in the Battle of Cepeda (1820)
Battle of Cepeda (1820)
The Battle of Cepeda of 1820 took place on February 1 in Cañada de Cepeda, Santa Fe, Argentina.It was the first major battle that saw Unitarians and Federals as two constituted sides. Federal League Provinces of Santa Fe and Entre Ríos joined forces to topple the 1819 centralist Constitution, and...
, de Luca salvaged the facility and maintained it, albeit at minimal levels. A charge brought against him several months later of complicity in a plot by General Carlos María de Alvear
Carlos María de Alvear
Carlos María de Alvear was an Argentine soldier and statesman, Supreme Director of the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata in 1815....
against Governor Martín Rodríguez resulted in de Luca's acquittal; the factory, however, closed.
He was among the founders of the Buenos Aires Literary Society in 1822, and wrote for the two leading Buenos Aires periodicals of the time, La Abeja and El Argos. De Luca's columns advocated at length for the westward expansion into the pampas, and he became known also for his translations of works by Italian dramatist
Italian literature
Italian literature is literature written in the Italian language, particularly within Italy. It may also refer to literature written by Italians or in Italy in other languages spoken in Italy, often languages that are closely related to modern Italian....
Vittorio Alfieri
Vittorio Alfieri
Count Vittorio Alfieri was an Italian dramatist, considered the "founder of Italian tragedy."-Early life:Alfieri was born at Asti in Piedmont....
(numerous of whose plays were then produced in Buenos Aires).
De Luca was appointed secretary to diplomatic envoy Valentín Gómez, who in 1823 was entrusted to negotiate for the return of the Banda Oriental
Banda Oriental
The Banda Oriental del Uruguay was the South American territory east of the Uruguay River and north of the Río de la Plata, coinciding approximately with the modern nation of Uruguay, the Brazilian State of Rio Grande do Sul and some parts of Santa Catarina...
(Uruguay
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
) by the Empire of Brazil. As they returned from a May 1824 round of talks in Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
, the brigantine
Brigantine
In sailing, a brigantine or hermaphrodite brig is a vessel with two masts, only the forward of which is square rigged.-Origins of the term:...
carrying them sank, and although Gómez survived, Esteban de Luca drowned in the Río de la Plata
Río de la Plata
The Río de la Plata —sometimes rendered River Plate in British English and the Commonwealth, and occasionally rendered [La] Plata River in other English-speaking countries—is the river and estuary formed by the confluence of the Uruguay River and the Paraná River on the border between Argentina and...
at age 37.
His home in Buenos Aires' San Telmo
San Telmo
San Telmo is the oldest barrio of Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is a well-preserved area of the Argentine metropolis and is characterized by its colonial buildings. Cafes, tango parlors and antique shops line the cobblestone streets, which are often filled with artists and dancers.San Telmo's...
ward, the Casa de Esteban de Luca
Casa de Esteban de Luca
The Casa de Esteban de Luca, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, is an historic house, once inhabited by the Argentine poet, soldier, Esteban de Luca, who wrote odes to General José de San Martín, as well to his victories in the battles of Chacabuco, Maipú, and other milestones in the Argentine War of...
, was declared a National Historic Monument in 1941.