He traveled regularly on business to Buenos Aires, where he became interested in the Patriotic Society, which put him in touch with Mariano Moreno and Manuel Belgrano, an important connection.
After the May Revolution in 1810 these relationships led to his appointment of Commander of Arms and lieutenant governor of the "possession" of Catamarca, which was part of the Salta del Tucumán Province.
Mota was replaced in January 1812 by Domingo Ortiz de Ocampo from La Rioja Province, brother of the former chief of the Army of the North.
Meanwhile, the government in Buenos Aires was spending all their revenue on fighting the federalist rebels and on supporting the Army of the Andes in its campaign in Chile.
After a two years of monotonous and poor governance, Mota was collaborating with Arevalo, who was in command of three corps of the Dragoons, led by the captains Felipe Heredia,[a] Abraham González and Manuel Cainzo.
He was then replaced by Don Juan Jose de la Madrid, who had long experience in the Tucumán council, and was husband of Aráoz's sister Catalina.
However, in August 1821, when the power of Aráoz began to subside, a board of officers and chapter members declared the autonomy of Catamarca Province.
The first governor was a civilian, Nicolás Avellaneda y Tula,[c] but the leaders of the movement were the colonels Mota, Eusebio Gregorio Ruzo and Marcos Antonio Figueroa.