Nomination form
International Memory of the World Register
The War of the Triple Alliance Iconographic and cartographic presentations
1. Summary
The War of the Triple Alliance left indelible marks on the history of South America. One
of the bloodiest conflicts of the XIX Century as well as one of the longest-lasting in the
Americas, it served to redefine national frontiers in the River Plate area. Also to leave its mark
on the history of the countries involved: Paraguay, Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay. On the one
side, it led to the complete destruction of Paraguayan economic organization and to a weak
positioning in the regional geopolitical scenario. On the other hand, victory, paradoxically, did
not bring prosperity to the remaining countries. The effects of the war can be felt even today;
the diversity of interpretations reflects it. Sometimes influenced by strong nationalistic
tendencies; other times by the revision of national history, strongly influenced by the political
‘moment’, changes happening in each country.
But, beyond the recording of human slaughtering, visual documents appear: showing
territories and multiple views of geographic spaces; describing homes, camps, fortifications,
equipments and man-made edifices. They record human characteristics, not shown by
academic art: such as negroes turned soldiers, fighting in order to obtain freedom. Summing
up, the documents show the common man who made his own history.
2.0 Nomin2.
2.Nominatorator
2.1 Name of nominator (person or organization)
Arquivo Histórico do Exército (AHEx) – Comando do Exército (Brasil).
Arquivo Histórico (AHI) e Mapoteca Histórica do Itamaraty (MHI) – MRE (Brasil)-CDOERERIO
Arquivo Nacional (AN) – (Brasil).
Diretoria do Patrimônio Histórico e Documentação da Marinha (DPHDM) – Comando da
Marinha (Brasil).
Fundação Biblioteca Nacional (FBN) – (Brasil).
Museu Histórico Nacional – (Brasil).
Museu Imperial (MI) – (Brasil).
Museu Nacional de Belas Artes (MNBA) – (Brasil).
Museo Histórico del Uruguay – (Uruguay)
Instituto Histórico e Geográfico Brasileiro (IHGB) - (Brasil).
2.2 Relationship to the nominated documentary heritage
All the institutions above are custodians of parts of the collection proposed. The Museu
Imperial represents the network of public and private institutions that submit this candidature in
this way hoping to contribute to the study, preservation and the exhibition of these historic and
artistic documents to add to the memory of Latin America.
2.3 Contact person(s) (to provide information on nomination)
Maurício Vicente Ferreira Júnior, Director of the Museu Imperial.
2.4 Contact details
Name
Address
Maurício Vicente Ferreira Júnior, Rua da Imperatriz, 220 - Centro. Petrópolis/Rio de
Director of the Museu Imperial. Janeiro/Brasil. CEP. 25610-320.
Telephone
55-24-2233-0367.
3.0
Facsimile
55-24-2233-0338
Email
[email protected]
Identity and description of the documentary heritage
3.1 Name and identification details of the items being nominated
If inscribed, the exact title and institution(s) to appear on the certificate should be given
1. Legal Entity of Public Law:
1.1. Arquivo Histórico do Exército (AHEx) – Comando do Exército (Brasil).
1.1.1. Coleção Cartográfica (1865-1876)
1.2. Arquivo Histórico (AHI) e Mapoteca Histórica do Itamaraty (MHI) – MRE (Brasil)-CDOERERIO
1.2.1. Coleção Barão do Rio Branco (1865-1881)
1.3. Arquivo Nacional (AN) – Brasil.
1.3.1. Fundo Ministerio da Guerra (1864-1876)
1.4. - Diretoria do Patrimônio Histórico e Documentação da Marinha (DPHDM) – Comando da
Marinha (Brasil).
1.4.1 – Eduardo De Martino – Guerra do Paraguai ([1866] – 1908).
1.5. Fundação Biblioteca Nacional (FBN) – Brasil.
1.5.1 Coleção Biblioteca Fluminense - Iconografia e cartografia da Guerra do Paraguai.
1.5.2. Coleção Mário Barreto - Iconografia e cartografia da Guerra do Paraguai.
1.5.3. Coleção Teresa Cristina Maria - Iconografia e cartografia da Guerra do Paraguai.
1.5.4. Coleção Benedito Ottoni - Iconografia e cartografia da Guerra do Paraguai.
1.5.5. Coleção Biblioteca Nacional - Iconografia e cartografia da Guerra do Paraguai.
1.5.6. Coleção Pimenta Bueno - Iconografia e cartografia da Guerra do Paraguai.
1.6. Museu Histórico Nacional – Brasil.
1.6.1. Coleção Guerra do Paraguai - Álbuns Iconográficos (c. 1865-1870).
1.7. Museu Imperial (MI) –. Brasil.
1.7.1 Arquivo da Casa Imperial do Brasil - Iconografia e cartografia da Guerra do Paraguai
(1857-1870).
1.8. Museu Nacional de Belas Artes (MNBA) - Brasil.
1.8.1. Coleção Vitor Meireles [c. 1868-1872]
1.8.2. Coleção Pedro Américo (1873)
1.9. Museo Histórico del Uruguay
1.9.1. Pinacoteca
1.9.2. Serie Carte de Visite
1.9.3. Serie Javier López
1.9.4. Serie Restitución de trofeos
1.9.5. Serie Fiesta de las Medallas
1.9.6. Serie Personas
2. Legal Entity of Private Law:
2.1. Instituto Histórico e Geográfico Brasileiro (IHGB).
2.1.1. Coleção IHGB (1866-1868)
2.1.2. Conde D’Eu (1870)
2.1.3. Visconde do Uruguai
3.4 History/provenance
The proposing institutions are presenting iconographic and cartographic documentation
referring to the War of the Triple Alliance against Paraguay, produced by the Secretaria de
Estado e Negócios da Guerra [State Secretariat of War], by persons who participated in the
event, as well as collected, transferred or purchased (purchase and donation) for public and
private archives.
Documentation refers to the period from 1857 to 1908 and is made up of photographs,
lithographs, maps, plans, sketches and drawings, registering the largest conflict to have taken
place in Latin America, involving Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay.
3.5 Bibliography
See Annex III.
4.0
Legal information
4.1 Owner of the documentary heritage (name and contact details)
1. Name: Arquivo Histórico do Exército
Adress: Praça Duque de Caxias, 25/ 6º andar. Centro. Rio de Janeiro, RJ – Brasil. CEP:
20221-260
Telephone: 55-21- 2519-5351
Facsimile: 51-21-2519- 5189
E-mail: [email protected] ; [email protected]
2. Name: Ministério das Relações Exteriores - Escritório de Representação do Rio de Janeiro
(MRE/ERERIO) – Coordenaçãor de Documentação Diplomática (Arquivo Histórico e
Mapoteca Histórica do Itamaraty)
Adress: Avenida Marechal Floriano, 196. Centro. Rio de Janeiro, RJ – Brasil. CEP: 20080002.
Telephone: 55-21-2263-4429 (Chefia do Setor de Documentação); 55-21-2253-5720 (AHI);
55-21-2253-8516 (MHI).
E-mail:
[email protected];
[email protected];
[email protected]; [email protected]
3. Name: Arquivo Nacional
Adress: Praça da Republica, 173. Centro. Rio de Janeiro, RJ – Brasil. CEP 20211-350.
Telephone: 55-21- 2179-1262
E-mail: [email protected]
4. Name: Diretoria do Patrimônio Histórico e Documentação da Marinha
Adress: R. D. Manuel, 15 – Centro. Rio de Janeiro, RJ – Brasil. CEP: 20010-090.
Telephone: 55-21-2104-5506 / 2104-5493
E-mail: [email protected]
5. Name: Fundação Biblioteca Nacional
Adress: Avenida Rio Branco, 219. Centro. Rio de Janeiro, RJ – Brasil. CEP 20040-008.
Telephone:55-21-2220-4001
Facsimile: 55-21-3095-3984
E-mail: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]
6. Name: Museu Histórico Nacional
Adress: Praça Marechal Âncora s/nº - Centro. Rio de Janeiro, RJ – Brasil. CEP: 20021-200.
Telephone: 55-21-2550-9221
E-mail: [email protected] , [email protected]
7. Name: Museu Imperial
Adress: Rua da Imperatriz, 220 – Centro. Petrópolis - Brasil. CEP 25610-320
Telephone: 55-24-2233-0367 / 55-24-2233-0376
Facsimile: 55-24-2233-0338
E-mail: [email protected]
8. Name: Museu Nacional de Belas Artes
Adress: Avenida Rio Branco, 199 - Centro. Rio de Janeiro, RJ – Brasil. CEP 20040-008.
Teléfono: 55-21-2219-8474.
Facsimile: 55-21-2262-6067.
E-mail: [email protected]
9. Name: Museo Histórico del Uruguay
Adress: Rincón 437 – CP. 11000 – Montevideo - Uruguay
Teléfono: 598-2915-1051.
Facsimile: 598-2915-6863.
E-mail: [email protected]
10. Name: Instituto Histórico e Geográfico Brasileiro
Adress: Avenida Augusto Severo, 8 – Glória. Rio de Janeiro, RJ – Brasil.
CEP 20021-040
Telephone: 55-21- 2252-4430
E-mail: [email protected]
4.2 Custodian of the documentary heritage (name and contact details if different from the owner)
The proposing institutions are the custodians of the documentary heritage.
4.3 Legal status
Public Institutions:
Arquivo Histórico do Exército (AHEx) – Comando do Exército – Ministério da Defesa.
Arquivo Histórico (AHI) e Mapoteca Histórica do Itamaraty (MHI) – Ministério das Relações
Exteriores.
Arquivo Nacional (AN) – Ministério da Justiça.
Diretoria do Patrimônio Histórico e Documentação da Marinha (DPHDM) – Comando da
Marinha – Ministério da Defesa.
Fundação Biblioteca Nacional (FBN)– Ministério da Cultura.
Museu Histórico Nacional – IBRAM – Ministério da Cultura.
Museu Imperial (MI)– IBRAM – Ministério da Cultura.
Museu Nacional de Belas Artes (MNBA)– IBRAM – Ministério da Cultura.
Museo Histórico del Uruguay – Ministerio de Educación y Cultura
Private Institutions:
Instituto Histórico e Geográfico Brasileiro (IHGB)
4.4 Accessibility
The documentation is freely accessible and there are research tools at each of the proposing
institutions such as: inventories, catalogues, files, data basis and multilevel systems on line.
The greater part of the material being proposed is either already digitalised or in the process of
digitalisation.
4.5 Copyright status
There are no author copyrights on the material presented in this candidature.
5.0 Assessment against the selection criteria
5.1 Authenticity
The material here presented was produced by the Secretaria de Estado e Negócios da
Guerra, by technicians, artists and photographers that participated in this event. There are
also private collections of cartographic and iconographic documents of the War of the Triple
Alliance.
5.2 World significance
The War of the Triple Alliance signalled the entrance of Latin America in the era of
wars. Leaving behind the squabbles that involved small armies and that ended without
substantial changes to the geopolitical scenario. On the contrary, the conflict that dragged on
for five years exposed violence never before seen in the region and, even less, never
documented; its path devastated the economics of the countries involved.
At the beginning of the war, the countries that divided the ‘Platina’ basin were at
different stages of consolidation as nations. The largest amongst them was the one that
stood-out with its political-economic organization. Brazil was the only monarchy in Latin
America and based its economy on the export of agricultural products using the labour of
slaves; Argentina, on the other hand, was treading its way towards political unity after years
of conflict with the rise to the presidency of Bartoloméu Mitre; Uruguay wrestled with internal
conflicts, where each party looked for support from neighbouring states. Meanwhile
Paraguay, after decades of isolation, tried hard to obtain its place in this precarious regional
balancing-act. The open navigable basin of the river Paraná/Paraguay that had its estuary in
the River Plate controlled by Argentina, and its course within Paraguay territory, were a
constant source of frontier disputes with Argentina and Brazil: a recurrent source of conflict of
a diplomatic nature; of a Paraguay ruled by the Lopez family. Disagreements that increased
after the alliance between Paraguay and the Uruguay governments, promoted to substitute
Buenos Aires in favour of Montevideo as their Atlantic port for export of their commerce. In
addition the decision by the Brazilian government to be more active in the defence of its
economic interests in Uruguay.
The war that commenced with a military intervention in Uruguay extended into Brazilian
territory and ended with the demolishing of the Francisco Solano Lopez regime and, for a
long period, the occupation of Paraguay. Some 200 thousand men, between them
electorates, poor people who had been recruited, and slaves declared ‘freed’, were sent to
the war by the Brazilian Empire. Smaller contingents but significant, if compared to the size of
their populations, were made ready by Uruguay and Argentina: the troops of both these
countries forces were under the command of their presidents. Paraguay under Solano Lopez
involved all the population and, in the war, used up all its economic resources; a typical
devastation of a scenario of total war.
The human loss and destruction of her economic organization brought post-war
Paraguay to a condition of domination, in the regional concept; the victory, however, did not
bring prosperity to the opposition. Argentina consolidated her unification with the policy of
protection, promoted by the ‘boinairenses elites’ and Uruguay found herself substituting in the
government, the ‘Blanco’ party by the ‘Colorado’ party.
The ‘great’ Empire found herself, at the end of the war, with a debt that took two
decades to pay off. From the battlefields surged questioning as to monarchy; to freeing slaves
added to the increasing power of the Republican Movement. The Army, united and fortified by
war experience, appeared as a new player on the scenario; the Emperor, on the other hand,
who had reached his apogee during the first year of conflict, saw his crown now fragile and
isolated.
The political and military history of the War of the Triple Alliance is quite easily
understood because of the enormous historiography about the event; Texts produced from
written documents, from written official documents. However, the understanding of the conflict
could be interpreted or even changed, with the appearance of new sources. The War of the
Triple Alliance that emerges from photographic sources - a new technology for those times –
show faces different from those commissioned to show the victories of the now decadent
empire. The military commanders now appeared surrounded by recruited soldiers and
Voluntários da Pátria [Patriotic Volunteers], many indians, mulatos and negroes. Death and
poorness appear in the photo-journalism of the battlefields: torn uniforms, Paraguayan
prisoners, local populations famished and the ruins of the Paraguayan fortifications. But the
popular religiosity was also present with its registration of religious processions in the
Brazilian camps. Images of the camps show the interaction between those commanding and
those under command and their ethnic diversity. Photography and lithographs allow for the
accompanying of the war that was happening far away: the celebrations of the allied victory in
Rio de Janeiro were duly recorded, be they on the return of the emperor’s son-in-law, as
commander-in-chief at the last stages of the conflict, or the road ornamentations to receive
the Voluntários da Pátria.
Although the academic paintings by Pedro Américo, Vitor Meireles and Eduardo De
Martino try to glorify the war and consequently the monarchy, the artistic sensibility of these
men show without political brakes in their designs and sketches: preparatory stages, many
time in the actual war scene, for the enormous paintings finished in their studious. They are
details of the types of humans present in the battlefields, the evolution of warships driven by
steam and constructed of iron, the daily life of soldiers in their camps.
Although reflecting the military angle in the War of the Triple Alliance, the cartography
gives us information that goes much further than the geography of the land. It shows how war
was fought on the brink of modern warfare. Where cavalry charges were side by side with
aerial observations of the battlefield, and ironclads were attacked by oar-driven canoes.
Military engineers reproduced the organization of the camps and the location of the
Paraguayan defences, following the river bank; hydrographers studied the best places to
landing, like the combined operation of the Passo da Pátria; the long and involving marches
of the final years of the war were registered on maps of Paraguayan territory, to be studied by
future generations of military men.
5.3 Comparative criteria:
1 Time
1857-1908
The earliest document, produced in 1857 by Augusto Leverger and presented by the
candidature, is a map of the river Paraná, used during the conflict to describe the region.
The drawings of the frigate Amazonas, that fought in the Naval Battle of Riachuelo,
made by Eduardo De Martino, is the closing document of the time span of the collection
presented by this candidature. Thirty eight years after the end of the War of the Triple
Alliance, De Martino made this design of the flagship of the Brazilian Navy that fought at
Riachuelo (June, 11th 1865), on the occasion when he met with members of the Brazilian
Navy. The episode, in 1908, brought him back to his participation in the conflict that allied
Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay against Paraguay.
2 Place
The documents here presented reflect the interpretations developed by the participants
of this conflict on the territory and its morphology; accentuating a geographic space of
recognized importance in the political, economic and demographic dynamics within Latin
America – the Paraná-Paraguay river basin. The meeting of the rivers Paraná, Uruguay and
Paraguay, that designed natural frontiers in a region contaminated by political disputes, was a
privileged path to the interior of the continent; essential for the movement of the population,
goods and ideas within states that only recently had gained autonomy. The demand for the
free usage of this fluvial road and the impact on the countries along the banks was one of the
vectors that brought about the crisis.
3 People
Although little used in the study of the conflict, the iconographic and cartographic
documents presented, enable a socio-cultural study of the war. With this iconography we can
appreciate the participation of women and children and the sacrifices imposed on the civil
population as well as the participation of negro soldiers (free or who had been freed) during
the struggle. The presence of heads of state, military commanders, the daily routine of the
soldiers, the way they lived, their participation and their suffering, are seen by photographers,
artists, engineers – their work gives us a insight of the war.
Artists, well known for their historic paintings, such as Vitor Meireles, Pedro Américo,
Eduardo De Martino and Diógenes Héquet, translated the war into their designs, outlines and
sketches; many times produced in the field. In the same way, the photographic images of Luiz
Terragno, Marc Ferrez, Carlos César, Zugarramurdi, Manuel Serón, Martínez y Bidaut, Bate &
Ca., Chute & Brooks, Juan Carlos Hallemand and Javier López, show a Latin America that
was at that moment experimenting with the most up-to-date techniques of reporting –
photographic reports of the fighting.
The image, as a documentary resource, brings us close to human groups: their clothes,
their customs and their physical appearance – hidden in written documents.
4 Subject and theme
In general terms, the theme is the conflict between Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay
against Paraguay, its development and until its conclusion with the peace treaty.
Documents that can be seen refer to combat tactics, battle scenes, cultural matters; in
particular showing technological and architectonical aspects and their reflection on Latin
American society; it brings a concept of identity to these people and a concept of organization.
Thematic indexing:
1. Paraguayan War – Iconography and Cartography (1857-1908);
2. South America – History;
3. South America – Politics and Government;
4. South America – International Politics;
5. South America – Diplomatic Relations;
6. South America – Geographical Space;
7. South America – Cultural Space.
5 Form and style
The documents presented are models of a practice of registration of images which is
fast disappearing, due to competition from other forms of capturing images, such as digital;
this increases the need to preserve and divulge documents that are examples of how to make
and create.
Special attention must be given to the importance of technical design, drawings and
sketches – the traditional method of cartographic production – important in order to know the
layout of geographic spaces, without which it would not be possible for forces to move and
even develop tactics within the territory. In this respect we can appreciate the hand of the
military responsible, all involved in the surveying of the region, amongst them: Emilio Carlos
Jourdan, Pedro Lécor, Senna Madureira and Carlos Roxo.
The languages of the documents – Portuguese, Italian and Spanish – all are an addition to
their linguistic value.
6 Social/ spiritual/ community significance:
The long battle fought by Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay against Paraguay, accentuates
the problems faced by these states in the construction of their identity. The partic ipation of
slaves in the conflict is an aspect that merits attention. In the case of Brazillian negroes (up to
then slaves) entered the Army and Navy. A new corps, the Voluntários da Pátria, was created
that enabled the employment of the population from the various Brazilian Provinces. The
movement of the troops and the fleeing of the population from those areas where combat
were taking place promoted a demographic change, not only in those areas where conflict
was taking place but also in the centre of the states involved.
But, proportionate to the participation of each of the countries, the most important loss
was from deaths in the battlefields and from disease. In Paraguay the war would be felt by the
drastic reduction of the male population. It’s especially, in this sense, that there are no victors
nor vanquished.
The documentation here presented shows practices and examples of ways of doing,
thinking, feeling and acting by the population that was touched by the War of the Triple
Alliance; detailing moments of profound change by the warring forces. As a result, it is not
cultural patrimony only of Brazil, but also of Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay.
6.0 Contextual information
6.1 Rarity
The documents are unique and authentic, with the characteristic of rareness. Brazil
participated with intensity in the conflict, from 1864 until the occupation of Paraguay in 1876;
thus gathering a significant collection of documents. In this candidature are collected together
drawings, photographs, lithographs, maps, plans, sketches and drawings referring to the
period the preceded the war, as well as the post war. In the middle of the XIX Century, the use
of photography during a war was still a novelty. The War of the Triple Alliance was the very
first conflict recorded in Latin America. Existing images of the conflict include battles, locations,
buildings, populations, corpses, politicians, soldiers and military leaders, seen from different
angles.
As for the cartographic documents, produced in the military camps and in the
battlefields, they call attention because of their importance. This kind of documents show the
precise strokes – in graphite, nanquin or watercolour – made by the technicians that surveyed
the region, enabling the heads of the military plan their tactics and move the troops. Even
though more than one plan or map was produced for the same region or event, it would
always be a unique document from the hands of that particular designer.
6.2 Integrity
Within the elements contained in the collections that constitute this candidature, several
present varying degrees of acidification and oxidation, some loss of structure and dirt,
however, without loss of information, thus maintained complete and unaltered. All the
individual documents included are maintained in their original groupings.