 He was elected to represent Córdoba in the Tucumán Congress and served for the declaration in 1816.Along with his Córdoba colleagues, he was one of the few federalists in the Congress, speaking for a system of strong autonomous provinces .He was a supporter of the federalist José Gervasio Artigas and, along with Eduardo Pérez Bulnes, declined to follow the Congress to Buenos Aires, continuing to support Artigas' cause from Córdoba.