Resumo

PINTO CASCAN, Darwin. The origin of the hero: Germán Busch and his proven birthplace in Santa Cruz. Rev. aportes de la comunicación [online]. 2023, n.34, pp.101-116. ISSN 2306-8671.

Abstract The figure of the hero plays a key role in the construction of the identity and history of nations; when doubts about their life emerge, clarifying them becomes a pressing matter to avoid distor-tions from becoming accepted truths. An example of this can be seen during the cultural and mi-litary boom of ancient Greece, when heroes were seen as figures between men and gods, which explains why facts about their lives have been preserved. In this context, Germán Busch Becerra (1903-1939) is considered a Bolivian hero due to his prowess as a soldier during the Chaco War, national leader, and as inspiration to the nationalist revolution of 1952. He has become a factor of identity cohesion for the nation and for its history. His biography shouldn't leave any room for confusion. However, in 2007, a hypothesis emerged arguing his birthplace was Beni and not Santa Cruz. To provide a well-grounded answer to this controversy, this research subjects both hypotheses of Busch's birthplace to contrast following the falsificationist paradigm to determine the logical consistency of both. In order to do this, 32 valid sources dated between 1903 and 2022 were used. The results evidence that the hypothesis with more internal consistency is the one stating Busch's birthplace is Santa Cruz, while the hypothesis claiming Beni as his birthplace is marginal and lacking any primary sources. Therefore, this research concludes that German Busch was born in San Javier, Chiquitos (Santa Cruz), on March 23, 1903, clarifying the place of birth of the biggest national hero of the 20th century, and the biggest cruceño figure that's ever lived

Palavras-chave : National history; Latin American history; Bolivia; national identity; political history; historical research.

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