London in 1810: Spanish American Independence at 27 Grafton Street

The year 1810 marked a watershed moment in the history of Latin America. During these months, several independent juntas, a set of provisional governments created during the French occupation of Spain, were established across the continent from Mexico to Argentina.

Even more significantly, future leaders of this continental-wide rebellion not only met each other for the first time but also forged a single, cohesive mindset for the future of Central and South America. And this remarkable gathering took place thousands of miles away on the opposite side of the Atlantic – right in the centre of London.

In this talk, I explore the connection between England in 1810 and the project of nation building spearheaded by creole patriots, bringing to light both the rewarding and problematic issues of transnational collaboration, which included the emergence of independent nation states at the cost of Britain’s informal economic “empire” in the region.

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