Down with the tyrant of Amaya! A partisan riot in the Penitentiary of Cordoba (1908–1916)

Abstract

The incorporation of the provinces into the national penitentiary reformism of the late 19 th century was not an easy task. In Cordoba, the budgetary dimension occupied a preponderant place that delayed the configuration of the specific bureaucratic area dedicated to the administration of the penitentiary. Within this framework, the innovations produced in the first years of the prison’s life are associated with the specific management of the director Antonio Amaya (1908–1916), an official who had to resign after the inmate uprising that took place on May 18, 1916. As we demonstrate in this article, this event revealed the relevance of the provincial and national struggles to explain both the appointment of Amaya and his dismissal. Through the analysis of the chronicles of the local press and institutional reports and memories, we break down the different causes of the riot, the demands of the inmates and the connections with the political changes produced with the arrival of radicalism to the presidency of the Nation. In this way, we place the official in the universe of partisan disputes, beyond his will to reform.