The Making and Evolution of the Buenos Aires Economic Elite in the Nineteenth Century: The Example of the Senillosas

Abstract

Using a reconstruction of the history of Felipe Senillosa and his family as a point of departure, this article examines the nineteenth-century Buenos Aires entrepreneurial elite, with particular reference to the way this group developed and evolved over time. An émigré who fled from the restoration of absolutist rule in Spain after the fall of Napoleon, Senillosa arrived on the shores of the River Plate as this area moved toward independence, and in the span of a few years he worked his way into the porteño socioeconomic elite. Senillosa was able to leave his heirs a significant fortune that included not only estancias in the province of Buenos Aires but also several other economic undertakings. Senillosa’s two sons, Felipe Bonifacio and Pastor, occupied notable positions within the late-nineteenth-century Argentine upper class and were esteemed among the most prestigious rural entrepreneurs of their time. However, they did not emulate the economic success of their father and as a result began to lose standing among the truly rich. Lacking entrepreneurial talent, the members of the next generation found it difficult to maintain their social position, and they continued on a downward trajectory. By the 1910s, the Senillosas were no longer among the wealthiest families in Argentina.The Senillosas are a particularly noteworthy example of the ascent of an immigrant family to the center of the Argentine economic elite and of the opportunities for social and economic advancement present in the River Plate after independence. No less important, their story also reveals much about the pressures that forced some members of the late-nineteenth-century upper class to descend from their former lofty positions—a phenomenon that, despite its significance, has been largely neglected by historians. Considered as a whole, the Senillosas’ rise and fall turns out to be highly illustrative of the strengths and weaknesses of the nineteenth-century propertied class and allows us to advance some hypotheses regarding the characteristics and evolution of this group.A brief reference to the historiographic debate on the Argentine economic elite may provide a useful introduction to this issue. Traditionally, historians have argued that the nineteenth-century propertied class was a parasitic, rent-seeking elite that based its economic and social supremacy on control of the fertile pampean land. This negative view of large rural entrepreneurs, which socialist and other left-leaning thinkers developed at the beginning of the twentieth century, gained wide currency after the Great Depression, as the export sector entered into a long period of decline and the economy lost momentum. In the last 30 years, however, this interpretation has been called into question. Despite the rural sector’s weak performance after the Great Depression, this portrait of the pre-1930 landed elite as lacking entrepreneurial spirit and as an impediment to economic growth precludes a coherent explanation of the formidable agrarian expansion that stretched from the early nineteenth century to the 1920s and made Argentina one of the world’s leading agricultural exporters. This fact explains why most current views on the nineteenth century rural entrepreneurs emphasize their dynamism, entrepreneurial spirit, and business acumen.1Jorge F. Sábato’s La clase dominante en la Argentina moderna the most of the of the Argentine economic elite to Sábato’s not only the of the of the but also to the of the economic elite as a landed did not into the and for the most he the of the business elite as a landed he that and entrepreneurs an business group economic a wide of to from to the Argentine by their into that were to for the of the In this it be to the large entrepreneurs of the of the century as an elite as a view However, his have a on Argentine to the that they may the most point of for of the has one of the most members of the family as a example of a in to his into of This article that this interpretation the of his Senillosa most of his in rural it that he also in other of the it to that this was not as toward the of Senillosa’s of be as an economic at of for his the of his it not the that the Senillosas were an among large Argentine the Senillosas with a of other at in the nineteenth century allows us to that the family was and that Sábato’s interpretation be This not however, that the view of the nineteenth-century economic elite as a landed class on the and the that, economic was an economic in the the period as the of this family to in arrived in the River Plate by fortune by Senillosa was in in his a In the early he was to the of to as a In his were by the of the and Senillosa to the his to the in the of did not much to this to at the of the a of in at he the was and after the of in Senillosa to his but the restoration of the in Spain made difficult for a former to to he and who to to the River arrived in Buenos Aires in with the he in the However, his of and were by River Plate Senillosa his in the of the an the prestigious of and An of which in the he a in Buenos In Senillosa’s and to a notable in the porteño of the the of the in of the of the and of at the of Buenos Aires by By the of the Senillosa’s to a in the Buenos Aires of which he the long of a of the he he was to and in to and Senillosa’s at the of the also with the early history of the of an of this over which he in of the of reveals the to the of a of rural in Buenos which the of pampean after independence. the the was not a for was and in the and the made no to a to economic of be in the of which in the of the of a a of much to its to its independence, in and the and were the of the economy and the of for its economic not but and rural of for rural was largely the economic with This forced rural to on and the expansion of agricultural which in the century the pampean was by and and the largely In the of the regarding the was to a of for made no to rural to on from Spain forced the and the economic elite to their with the and rural porteño who with lost control of that it in and of the of of and to in the despite its negative on and its also entrepreneurial of the pampean economy toward the and in particular toward the export of and other the and with from the the economic opportunities by began to from the other of the River Plate to the and to their in the who were the of and with the of the began to from were an to their at most rural for in however, the entrepreneurs who to rural business did not other economic in rural for export as the economic of the Plate and began to from other of the among which was the expansion of the rural export economy in to the social and that this period of and and to a of on that for the of on and to this were the expansion of control over and the of a that in the of was an in this and one of its leading a in also this with the Senillosa several of the of the River that was for in the of the and In the of for he several on the with a of and a of in that the by that he made for and several other who were in few in the of he to the at the of one of the most by the this made Senillosa one of the few with of the of Buenos this to his economic In years, this fortune was for he in he a less of the he the of his not that he to his as a by of Buenos of at a by in the which who to rural but did not to were to toward this In years Senillosa some in and in the he began to some in several years some in the Senillosa a In the the of were for the Senillosa was a of this from his in the some an of by the in and of on the of the River in which he called be useful to the of the of the the most of By Senillosa the were for who a for the of land. In a in the of to Senillosa that the was for that were at has been that this last less a to the of one and a for the to an that a for the of the out in the were no less for it not as a that the was into Senillosa moved to the in Senillosa a of in the was made not in but in the on this Senillosa have for the with some of a that less of the that the no Senillosa argued that the at which the was was only was at Senillosa’s other large it was among the in the were on and of as as some were particularly for the of the and began to rural in the and In the and were not only for the but also in from the Senillosa of the of the to the he to the in the he the this In the which to the of the the he the are with of that Senillosa’s rural their early of In the and early he of two few from the and other in to his By the his to have a However, of in to his business for By at a in the was in its he and the of was to but he also his on of the and the with his but largely Senillosa to other and of Senillosa’s the early not us much about his that that point however, it that he in By the Senillosa a that and several other In at he a that and the also two on his that not only but also and for in Buenos Aires for export to as and the fact that Senillosa with in Spain and that the he in his of were as a result of Senillosa’s with the of a porteño who been in with the the a to the one a of were of in an success to a large with and In Senillosa also entered into a in a the years and the of the of the Senillosa out his he also in and of to business In an economic as River the business and was a This In the of the for an the of Buenos Aires for several years, entrepreneurs to of their from rural in to in In Senillosa to a in that this the in and regarding the only that the of the of which this Senillosa that the business opportunities for who the to rural and to for to rise be a to and the years, Senillosa to have in and the of a to from the Felipe Senillosa as a rural was to the of his rise to economic it was only one of a In in this of of one of his that at his at the of his in a for this Senillosa his and This of in was with the of other large entrepreneurs of his in he an of and on to his heirs a in was Senillosa’s the of his Senillosa was not a but a rural of the of his also some in at of his two and a in were at of his was at and the at of his from the were at of his the heirs to Felipe Senillosa’s fortune and to of the was this of among the porteño upper a of the of the period that allows us to Senillosa in a of rural entrepreneurs, who on he that, for the group in rural of their in and for a of and and into the of that Senillosa’s of was of the business of the large rural entrepreneurs of the of the nineteenth to why this of among large rural entrepreneurs in the century the with Spain in that the of was a to with However, as currency and were one not the most of the and economic that the River Plate at that time. a century of and business in a and the of the of Buenos Aires that period for long of and entrepreneurs to to to River Plate also long and and as in of a a of economic in which economic to were forced to their in an economic and that of the last period of which was by social in in the and from to with Great and with a to at the economic and In rural this that was in the from the of important, the of the and the to other as which were also to and of to this by in to for in and most entrepreneurs of success to a on the of their This why rural other did not but as and export and and the of to the business of Argentina Senillosa’s However, it not to a of the that to his This Senillosa’s and other not us to and as to entrepreneurial talent, social this rise to of this however, be in one in Senillosa’s it was his to of the in the River Plate economy in the particularly the in the economy and the toward agricultural for the of that after the of the century, in the was by of of and the of rural a of for and Senillosa was a in Buenos Aires his of the of the a that few of his a he to the for in and to to this of the for at a and a that for the of a rural with and in the was able to his rural at the his on rural of by into other of the Senillosa arrived in Buenos Aires at the beginning of the of the rural the of the nineteenth century be In this of agrarian growth and the in was that the a of the to an has been that as as the less of the to a large of the This us to it was for Senillosa to large landed of however, not last the Senillosa by the beginning of the the of the in his rural and his in of that a in the history of agrarian on the was this of in the of the next generation of Senillosa two and two and into other with their of their a result of their into other elite their history be in the of the family was to Felipe Bonifacio and Pastor, Senillosa’s two sons, to the of the after their developed their business in an economic and from that in which their father In the last of the nineteenth century, the rural economy a to the expansion of a by and by and which began to at an after and were in to a rural rise in this the the of the after fall in a for in the rural rise to history of the generation of Senillosas this the of this rural was one of a entrepreneurial was based on other and they are of the group of that in the of the nineteenth Senillosa and members of the Argentine the and toward the of the and to its the la regarding rural which in the and began to to socioeconomic elite. the they two of the entrepreneurs their and toward rural Senillosa for agricultural made in and other of the agricultural were based their as rural and Felipe over the family at a only and years of their father in their an who to his rural the Senillosas their estancias and much and Felipe and also began to in in and of Felipe Senillosa’s and us an early of the La was of was in the one and years were at which of the of to that In and were as were to provide and for and of which the of the also and its In the Senillosa were among the in the River Plate to to In they some and the of a that began to for the family This was not among and a not to the of their in years, but by the of were at This was less the of the and of this at and into their rural despite their the economic of the the economy as a result of the of the the of the export This in the from their rural the family and Senillosa’s to the of continued in rural at the of other of In a to at the of a of the of their that at this are a and the have that it has been to at and the of the are that at this In their that are in with only the they and not was to the rural and the in the economic of the entrepreneurs of the of the he been most have of the who developed their in a of of and of over in one was only in the the of and the expansion of agrarian in the began to for rural by the of in the economy and several entrepreneurs began to In the Senillosas to the of the family of their economic the Senillosas their on the expansion of the rural economy and not only their estancias but out the of the by their in their the their Felipe and of and large of at for the in the of their they also a to of they the difficult In a period were no of their economic and social have to less rural a way not only to the but also to the of their the Senillosas’ and were to be as among the in the River Plate In the they in which only for the family began to its with In Felipe that their been the for a the the of the Senillosa the family Felipe the on the and also a of the large as did his two and his the years, he continued to significant in his in he a large in at the in and for his By the after 30 years at the of his rural Felipe of the in Argentina and of the Argentine in the to his and from the By that he was in Buenos Aires and on his with in he in an example of a of the made a large a of to the of other the fact that Felipe developed his business in a that for in the rural it not as a to that at the of his the of his was from that of his in his that of Felipe which at the of his was in rural Felipe an who entered into with a his in not in the Senillosa’s have been over only the of his at was after his for from his rural Senillosa only one other a in Buenos Aires at of his In his Felipe his in rural from other economic as the of have in the of the Senillosa was of the of the nineteenth century, was Felipe for the at the of the of a significant of the in Argentina at the of the century this the most of this which the of rural entrepreneurs who at of pampean and who and the of the This several of the most of and and This that rural the which were the of in to be among the of in the in rural of their at the of their in and for in and and and was of their large in rural with the business a century did this in have in the that fall in for rural In this in rural and the of the also the of a and and in the last of the century Argentina the most in of This last as a been a of for and In the of the nineteenth century the the of in which large in the in the Argentine and that the independence. of and and the formidable in export for the of a few largely which to the and of and agricultural and the of forced to in rural a few in a in and However, it that business opportunities in did not among most by rural and the of and for most with rural to their In the last of the nineteenth century, large a that from to By the Argentina a group of rural who were and their been at point in the his in rural Felipe Senillosa to an his However, he did not the economic of his and at his he did not among the of his time. This be in a of Senillosa’s with that of the of the of the for one of the wealthiest in a that of the leading Argentine of the and to some of the leading of the an to that of Senillosa but that fortune his to to his of other large of his was of rural most of which he over the of his This and to of his and of his the that made his fortune in the of the century and the of his in land. an that two of in the in the of their who was among the most of his his in but did to his In he to his heirs the he from his This was not the most for economic as the history of of the other leading rural of the the business that to the of the economic elite was not the most and over and the In the was Senillosa in in fact that he only two of in economic most to his from the of his In his years, Felipe of a an the history of his Pastor, was family of forced to in particular in his in a that with the in which the of his last the family were after the by his father a century the this the export and on the of and among other In several rural the most significant of which was the in he he a he also in some and were to the point that in they the in Buenos Aires for Senillosa’s were also highly agricultural La in that, to this of Felipe has the that it and it be as a and entrepreneurial success are not Despite currency the of the was a difficult period for agricultural to economic and large and of by and the of also the most in 30 years the Buenos Aires in and the of and a his most to the of the the that Senillosa his at and from on moved from the of a of their economic to the of been the to their In were and his turns into he one of his the of the of the in agricultural and he that to his the two long he to with his and some of his at the beginning of the that his however, only that several of his were about to the of Argentine called for to be among his last years not have from his his and two in a particularly difficult as the of he he was to his fortune to the of his but the of his among his it for to on as their economic his been a but his that was of this In his that he to In of the fact that as a on he this with as he this a of of the did not the of one of sons, who at In a to his argued that the were to provide his with and that in in he be to for and the of a in this that he was that a rural was only it was large not only but also in over the long a in but a large of his the of some and the of his that not have to of a business to his and he a in its as that his were to some to it that one a way to two at the the has Senillosa as a example of the who to in of economic with an toward the of the and This interpretation largely in over other of for in he that one in it may not a

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