The "Telégrafo Mercantil, Rural, Político, Económico e Historiográfico del Río de la Plata" (in Spanish, "Merchant, rural, political, economic and historiographic telegraph of the Río de la Plata") was the first

newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as politics, business, sports a ...

edited in

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...

. It was founded on 1 April 1801 by

Francisco Cabello y Mesa Francisco Antonio de Cabello y Mesa (1764–1814) was a Spanish soldier and writer. He edited the first newspapers of the current nations of Peru, Argentina and Uruguay and founded '' El telégrafo Mercantil'' in Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ...

and

Manuel Belgrano Manuel José Joaquín del Corazón de Jesús Belgrano y González (3 June 1770 – 20 June 1820), usually referred to as Manuel Belgrano (), was an Argentine public servant, economist, lawyer, politician, journalist, and military leader. He ...

, and approved by viceroy Avilés.

In the Telegraph collaborated leading figures of the era.

Manuel José de Lavardén Manuel may refer to: People * Manuel (name) * Manuel (Fawlty Towers), a fictional character from the sitcom ''Fawlty Towers'' * Charlie Manuel, manager of the Philadelphia Phillies * Manuel I Komnenos, emperor of the Byzantine Empire * Manu ...

published in first issue of the newspaper his "Ode to the Paraná".

Thaddäus Haenke Thaddeus Xaverius Peregrinus Haenke (5 October 1761 – 4 November 1816) ( cs, Tadeáš Haenke; es, Tadeo Haenke) was a botanist who participated in the Malaspina Expedition, exploring a significant portion of the Pacific basin including the c ...

published numerous articles about his travels. The lawyer, journalist and poet Domingo de Azcuénaga y Basavilbaso, worked with some writings.

, Juan José Castelli,

Pedro Cerviño Pedro is a masculine given name. Pedro is the Spanish, Portuguese, and Galician name for ''Peter''. Its French equivalent is Pierre while its English and Germanic form is Peter. The counterpart patronymic surname of the name Pedro, meaning ...

, Luis José de Chorroarín, and many others, found room in the newspaper to disseminate their ideas and creations. The ''Telegraph'' expanded in Buenos Aires the use of the word "Argentine" to refer to everything related to the Río de la Plata zone or

, so that the newspaper is considered one of the origins of the name of Argentina. Its pages offered not only

editorial An editorial, or leading article (UK) or leader (UK) is an article written by the senior editorial people or publisher of a newspaper, magazine, or any other written document, often unsigned. Australian and major United States newspapers, suc ...

s, but also gave rise to poetry,

local color Local color/colour may refer to: * ''Local Color'' (book), a 1950 note and sketch study by Truman Capote * ''Local Color'' (Mose Allison album), 1958 * ''Local Color'' (University of Northern Iowa Jazz Band One album), 2015 * ''Local Color'' (film ...

notes, general information, and trade matters in the territories of the

Viceroyalty of Río de la Plata A viceroyalty was an entity headed by a viceroy. It dates back to the Spanish conquest of the Americas in the sixteenth century. France *Viceroyalty of New France Portuguese Empire In the scope of the Portuguese Empire, the term " Viceroyalty ...

. The ''Telégrafo Mercantil'' of 11 October 1801, for example, featured an announcement that the area around Quilmes would be open for hunting for leather and hides from the following: vizcachas, deer, foxes, skunks, otters abundant in coastal streams and the Riachuelo, as well as wild dogs (whose hides are used for boots), swans, partridges and seagulls (for their feathers). The periodical faced economic problems early on, however, as well as disputes with the colonial authorities, who looked askance at the writers' criticism and satire of their manner and policy. The newspaper ceased publication in October 1802; 110 issues had been published, as well as numerous special issues and supplements.

External links

Las dos fundaciones del periodismo
{{DEFAULTSORT:Telegrafo Mercantil Defunct newspapers published in Argentina Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata Spanish-language newspapers Publications established in 1801 Publications disestablished in 1802 Mass media in Buenos Aires 1801 establishments in the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata 1802 disestablishments in the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata

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External links