Montevideo and Buenos Aires were part of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata, a Spanish colony in South America.

Buenos Aires, the capital of the viceroyalty, ousted the viceroy Baltasar Hidalgo de Cisneros in 1810 during the May Revolution, and established a local government, the Primera Junta.

As a result of Buenos Aires's rebellion, Montevideo was appointed the new capital of the Viceroyalty, and governor Francisco Javier de Elío was promoted to viceroy.

This is the case of José Gervasio Artigas, who defected from Colonia del Sacramento on February 15, asking Buenos Aires support for their rebellion.

the villages of San Carlos, Minas, Maldonado, Durazno, Canelones and Pantanoso soon joined the pronouncing against the Spanish rule.