Writing in the Dark

This chapter recounts how printing was born with the republic in Chile, describing the full-size press that was brought from Boston in late 1811 and was set in motion to print the country's first periodical, La Aurora de Chile. It traces the long history of printing in most Spanish American countries, such as Peru and Mexico, where it dated back to the sixteenth century. It also cites new political communities that were baptised in print as the independence wars generated both quantitative and qualitative changes in publishing. The chapter looks at journals that championed the cause of independence by establishing a founding tradition of speaking truth to power and stimulating a demand for new ideas and discoveries, as well as for news and information. It points out how the printing press was a means of sustaining the momentum of the promised popular enlightenment for independent governments.