Founding of the Lautaro Lodge
- When
- 1797–1815
- Where
- Cádiz, Spain, as suggested by recent research; unnamed location of the later lodge
- Episodes
- 2
The Lautaro Lodge, initially called the Lodge of Rational Knights, was a revolutionary masonic lodge active in Latin American politics. Recent research places its founding in Cádiz, Spain, and rejects the long-held belief that Francisco de Miranda founded it as an extension of his British lodge, since he was living in Paris at the time. The founding year 1797 comes from the legacy record, not from any supplied passage.
Episodes
- Founding of the Lautaro Lodge
The revolutionary masonic lodge, initially the Lodge of Rational Knights, was founded in Cádiz, Spain, according to recent research.
- Later Naming and Recreation
According to Alcibíades Lappas, the lodge was named "Lodge of Rational Knights" in 1812 and renamed "Lautaro" by San Martín in 1815.
Background and detail
Background. The Lautaro Lodge (Spanish: Logia Lautaro) was a revolutionary masonic lodge active in Latin American politics in the 19th century. It was initially known as the Lodge of Rational Knights (Spanish: Logia de los Caballeros Racionales).
Purposes. The lodge's initial purposes were to apply the goals of the Spanish Enlightenment. When Spain began the Absolutist Restoration, it promoted instead the emancipation of the South American colonies.
Founding and Attribution. For many years the lodge was believed to have been founded as an extension of the British lodge "The Great American Reunion", created by the Venezuelan revolutionary Francisco de Miranda. Recent research instead suggests it was founded in Cádiz, Spain, and that Miranda was not among its founders, as he was living in Paris at the time, returning to London in January 1798.
Naming Debate. The lodge's secrecy makes it difficult to investigate its purposes or even its name. Alcibíades Lappas considers that the lodge was named "Lodge of Rational Knights" in 1812, like the Cádiz one, and that San Martín renamed it "Lautaro" when he recreated it in 1815, after the fall of Alvear.
People involved
- Francisco de Miranda · Venezuelan revolutionary long credited with founding the lodge via his British lodge "The Great American Reunion"; recent research holds he was not among its founders
- José de San Martín · Later figure who, according to Alcibíades Lappas, renamed the lodge "Lautaro" when he recreated it in 1815
- Alcibíades Lappas · Historian whose research offers an alternative account of the lodge's naming history
Sources
- Lautaro Lodge Wikipedia, revision of 2026-07-01
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.