Abstract

In this article some of the main contributions on the development of Freemasonry in Argentina are reassessed: its origins, internal divisions and the model of laicism defended by its members, an aspect that led to a strained relationship with Catholicism. At the same time, evidence on these issues is provided as well as on the fabric of personal and institutional relationships generated by freemasons, the linkage between the different kinds of Freemasonry and the connection with the high spheres of masonic power. This approach is based on written material, mainly correspondence and masonic press stored in the Historical Memory Documentary Centre.

Keywords: Argentina; freemasonry; lodges; liberalism; laicism