Cirilo Antonio Rivarola

Who was Cirilo Antonio Rivarola?

Cirilo Antonio Rivarola Acosta was the 4th President of Paraguay March 1, 1870 – December 10, 1871.

Before and during the War of the Triple Alliance, Rivarola was an opponent of dictator Francisco Solano López. In 1869, amidst Paraguay’s defeat and Solano’s guerrilla war against Paraguay’s conquerors, Rivarola led a rebellion against Solano and became president of a provisional government that controlled the capital.

Rivarola became the official president of Paraguay in March 1870 when Solano was killed. Rivarola gave up the presidency on August 31, 1870, but regained it the next day when the provisional government was renewed, and remained president for over a year. He presided over Paraguay’s settlement with the alliance and return to peace, though Paraguay’s recovery would be very slow. He resigned in December 1871 due to violent demonstrations against his government.

In 1878, while on his way to a meeting with President Cándido Bareiro, Rivarola was stabbed to death by masked individuals.