Literature, Political Thought and Independence in Latin America. The "Dialogues" of José Cecilio del Valle (Guatemala, 1821)

Abstract

Having won independence, the leaders of the former Spanish colonies in America took on the task, among others, of building their respective states and the nations. As a result, during the nineteenth century many politicians and intellectuals from several Latin American countries put forward various proposals in this regard. Beyond several fundamental coincidences and certain notable differences, it is interesting to note that many of these thinkers used literature as a political weapon in the struggle and in the debates for their ideas. One of the most widely used media was the press, another, the construction of fictitious dialogues between historical figures, such as those that Bernardo de Monteagudo created very early on between Atahualpa and Fernando VII. Although unable to analyze them all, this work is a initial reflection on a series of these nineteenth-century dialogues published by the Honduran José Cecilio del Valle, which is entitled "Dialogues by various dead people about the Independence of America" and considered a key text for retracing and explaining the complex framework between literature, political thought and independence in Latin American societies in the first decades of the 19th century.