Influencia afroamericana en los carnavales rioplatenses:

estudio comparativo de los corsos de Buenos Aires y Montevideo en la segunda mitad del siglo XIX

Abstract

The cities of Montevideo and Buenos Aires shared a similar process in the conformation of their historic tradition, since the creation of the Rio de la Plata´s Viceroyship in 1776. One of the main characteristics of these two cities was the ethnic and cultural heterogeneity of their inhabitants. The afro-americans were, in both cities, a very important group not only in politic and economic matters, but also in the socio-cultural aspect. Carnival -a popular and multiethnic celebration- was a privileged sociability contour for the consolidation of different identities as well as for the integration of the different social groups. This article compares the afro-american culture´s contribution to the both cities "corsos" [kind of street parade performed during Carnival] in the second half of the XIX century. It is presumed that political and economic conditions that undergoes social practices, such us Carnival´s celebration, do not necessarily determine its development in time, but it has to do with particular and intrinsic matters.