Both Uruguyan parties are weary of the…

Both Uruguyan parties are weary of the chaos, and in 1870 come to an agreement to define spheres of influence: the Colorados will control Montevideo and the coastal region, the Blancos will rule the hinterland with its agricultural estates.

In addition, the Blancos are paid half a million dollars to compensate them for the loss of their stake in Montevideo.

But the caudillo mentality is difficult to erase from Uruguay and political feuding continues, culminating in the Revolution of the Lances (Revolución de las Lanzas), led by Timoteo Aparicio, leader of the National Party of Uruguay (the Blancos) and a former army officer, against the government of Lorenzo Batlle y Grau.

The revolution is named after the tacuara, an improvised weapon used by South American militias, consisting of a knife tied to a stalk of sugarcane, resulting in a rudimentary lance.