ON THE MARGINS OF PROGRESS

THE ORGANIZATION OF REGATTAS IN CORUMBÁ (LATE DECADES OF THE 19TH CENTURY AND THE EARLY 20TH CENTURY)

Abstract

This article examines the organization of regattas in Corumbá from the late decades of the nineteenth century to the early twentieth century, treating them as a key lens through which to understand urban modernization and the reordering of the social uses of the Paraguay River. Drawing on local newspapers, it traces the shift of regattas from festive amusement to a competitive practice in the process of institutionalization, marked by scheduled times, categories, prizes, judges, and efforts toward associational life, including the creation of clubs. The analysis shows that these events linked the port to sociability and to moral repertoires of discipline and civility, while also revealing disputes over visibility in public space. It concludes that, although peripheral, Corumbá took part in wider circulations and projects of urbanity associated with the ideal of progress.