Abstract

In the absence of historical works on Uruguayan Freemasonry, this article aims to analyze the origins and institutionalization of the Order in the nineteenth century. To do this, documents from the first national lodges, newspaper articles of the time and numerous works on the history of Freemasonry in the region are reviewed. The main objective is to rescue the institutionalization process that developed Freemasonry in Uruguay by considering the following questions: How did this process take place? What were the primary influences on the development of Uruguayan Freemasonry? What was the relationship between the different lodges?

Keywords: Freemasonry; Uruguay; institutionalization; national lodges; civil statutes