---
node: sa_artigas
type: person
slug: jose_gervasio_artigas
title: "José Gervasio Artigas"
lead: "José Gervasio Artigas (1764–1850) was a revolutionary leader of the Río de la Plata and is honored as the national hero of Uruguay. He championed federalism and social reform."
published: 2026-07-13
updated: 2026-07-13
---

## Who they were

A former frontier soldier, Artigas led the people of the Banda Oriental, today's Uruguay, against Spanish and then Portuguese and Buenos Aires control. He built a federal league of provinces resisting central rule.

## What they did

He pushed radical reforms, including land redistribution to the poor, Indigenous people, and freed slaves. His federalist vision clashed with the centralists of Buenos Aires.

## Legacy

Defeated, Artigas spent his last decades in exile in Paraguay. Uruguay honors him as the father of its nationhood and its foremost hero.