Juan Moreira

Juan Moreira (San José de Flores, Buenos Aires, 1829-Lobos, Buenos Aires, April 30, 1874) was an Argentine gaucho and a historical figure in the popular folklore of his country.

Born in the Buenos Aires district of San José de Flores, today the Buenos Aires neighborhoods of Flores and Floresta, he lived since he was a child in the district of La Matanza. His life was full of injustices —considered representative of those suffered by the Argentine gaucho— that led him to engage in combat numerous times and to be persecuted by the police, until he was killed by them on April 30, 1874 in Lobos.

Biography

José Pod is interpreting Juan Moreira riding on his horse.

His father was the ferocious mazorquero José Custodio Moreira, a Spaniard who was also a member of the Night Watch Corps, supposedly known for its cruelty and lack of mercy. Turned into a nuisance due to his abuses and crimes, some historians affirm that Rosas himself gave Custodio Moreira a sealed envelope with the order that it be delivered to officer Antonino Reyes, commander of the Santos Lugares barracks. The envelope contained the order to immediately execute the bearer, a provision that was fulfilled on the spot. Little is known about Juan Moreira's mother, Doña Ventura, except that she tried to raise her son as best she could.

For nearly thirty years Juan Moreira led a quiet life, dedicating his time to rural work until he got his own ranch, a few heads of cattle and a few hectares of fields that he set aside for planting. He was a tall and stocky man, with brown to blond hair and a pockmarked pink complexion, who drank little alcohol and did not frequent grocery stores; He had good manners and was skilled on the guitar, which is why he was well regarded by "la Vicenta", with whom he fell in love and with whom he married, with the full consent of Vicenta's father, a man highly respected.

The marriage with Vicenta would be the beginning of all his problems, since the lieutenant mayor of the area –known as Don Francisco- was also in love with her and began to persecute him, accusing him of unjustifiable acts. The first fine she received from Don Francisco was for the party on the wedding night without the authorization of the lieutenant mayor, for which he had to pay 500 pesos.

At that time, Moreira had lent Sardetti, the town storekeeper, about 10,000 pesos that he would use to buy local produce; Sardetti did not return what was borrowed, so Moreira – without supporting documentation – filed a complaint with the deputy mayor. It is not known with certainty if Sardetti and Don Francisco had reached an agreement, but Sardetti denied the debt and Moreira was punished with 48 hours in the stocks, accused of claiming what was not his. Moreira, outraged by the situation, swore to Sardetti one stab wound for every thousand pesos that he owed him. He fulfilled his promise in a knife duel in Sardetti's own store and on his return he had to fight at his ranch against Don Francisco and four soldiers who were there to apprehend him. In the confrontation Don Francisco and two soldiers were killed.

It was from this moment that he began to gain fame in the region. Thus he had more fights, which he kept winning, many of which were challenges from other gauchos who wanted to test his own prowess. Over time, he began working as a bodyguard for politicians in exchange for "clearing his name", a promise that was never fulfilled. He was a bodyguard for Adolfo Alsina, who, it is said, treated him quite well.

The criminal record against Juan Moreira, initiated in 1869 and completed in 1879, in custody of the Historical Archive of the Province of Buenos Aires.

Moreira had only a bay horse, a small dog named "Cacique", a poncho, an enormous facón that was given to him by Adolfo Alsina (whose blade measures 63 cm and has a peculiar U-shaped hawk which he himself had replaced by the original S-shaped one to better stop the ax blows of his adversaries) and two blunderbuss. He always slept in the open with his dog & # 34; Cacique & # 34;, who served as his guard, and never unsaddled in case he had to escape. He toured the cities of Navarro, General Las Heras, Lobos and 25 de Mayo, and spent some time in the tolderías of Cacique Coliqueo. Upon his return, he continued his wandering life, facing numerous police parties and engaging in unequal battles from which he always emerged unsuccessful. At that point, it is said, he had become "addicted"; in the practice of killing, which is why there are those who say that he was one of the first serial killers in the country. Gossips claim that he became a quarrelsome, provocative and even a thief, although there is no reliable evidence regarding such accusations.

In April 1874, the Lobos justice of the peace, Casimiro Villamayor, by order of Mariano Acosta, governor of the province of Buenos Aires, sent 25 men under the command of Commander Bosch, belonging to the Buenos Aires police, surround him in the store and grocery store "La Estrella", located in what is now the Lobos Sanatorium, at the intersection of Chacabuco and Cardoner streets. Juan Moreira fought with all his strength, but just as he was about to jump over the wall that stood between the policemen and his horse, he was wounded by Sergeant Chirino's bayonet, who perforated his left lung. However, Moreira managed to shoot his blunderbuss, wounding Chirino in the face, who lost an eye as a result, and cut off four fingers with an ax blow; Moreira fell but managed to get up and wound Eulogio Varela, dying almost immediately, after two vomits of blood, thus becoming a legend and one of the best-known popular figures in Argentine popular history.

Moreira left a son, with the same name, and his beloved wife. His mortal remains are in the Lobos cemetery. However, you can see some personal effects, such as daggers, and also his skull, in the Juan Domingo Perón Museum, located in the same city.