Florencio Varela was born in Buenos Aires in 1807 (pre-
independence), with his father passing away when he was only 11
years old. As a child, he earned a grant to attend the Unión del
Sur school, recently founded by General Juan Martín de
Pueyrredón. His university studies began four years later, & in
1827 he obtained a doctorate in Law. While studying, Varela
wrote his first literary piece & was published in newspapers
edited by his older brother, the famous poet Juan Cruz Varela.
Florencio’s brother also inspired Unitarian ideas that led him
to leave Argentina in 1829 after Lavalle ordered the execution
of Manuel Dorrego. Complicated times. Exiled in Montevideo,
Varela married Justa Cané, had 11 children & spent most of his
time working as a lawyer. But during this period, Varela came to
be known as much for his literary talent as for his flair for
politics. He participated in early elections in Uruguay,
supporting Fructuoso Rivera over General Manuel Oribe who shared
ideas similar to those of Juan Manuel d