colony · South America

Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata

1776 CE – 1814 CE · capital Buenos Aires

The last viceroyalty created by Spain in the Americas, ruled from Buenos Aires, whose crisis in 1810 began Argentina's independence.

Origins

To counter Portuguese expansion and smuggling, Charles III created the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata in 1776, with Buenos Aires as its capital and Pedro de Cevallos as first viceroy. It joined the governorates of Buenos Aires, Paraguay and Tucumán with Cuyo and the Royal Audiencia of Charcas, including the silver of Potosí.

Rule and society

Silver from Potosí now flowed out through Buenos Aires, which boomed after the free-trade regulation of 1778 opened it to direct trade with Spain. Intendancies replaced the old governorates in 1782. Hides and salted meat were growing exports. In 1806 and 1807 British forces invaded Buenos Aires and Montevideo, and local militias under Santiago de Liniers drove them out, boosting Creole confidence.

Decline and legacy

After Napoleon's capture of the Spanish king, the May Revolution of 1810 deposed the viceroy and created the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata. Paraguay and Upper Peru broke away, and royalist Montevideo fell in 1814.

Lineage

Viceroyalty of Peru 1542 CE – 1824 CEGovernorate of Buenos Aires 1617 CE – 1776 CEViceroyalty of the Río de la PlataUnited Provinces of the Río de la Plata 1810 CE – 1831 CE

Connections (5)

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/viceroyalty-of-the-rio-de-la-plata
MLA
“Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/viceroyalty-of-the-rio-de-la-plata. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/viceroyalty-of-the-rio-de-la-plata.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/viceroyalty-of-the-rio-de-la-plata (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻