Héctor Benigno Varela

Héctor Benigno Varela (January 27, 1875 – January 27, 1923) was an Argentine military officer, best known for having been responsible for the massacre of between 300 and 1,500 workers in the Santa Cruz province, during the events that became known as Patagonia Rebelde.

Early life Varela was born on January 27, 1875, in Renca, San Luis, son of Ramón S. Varela and Ramona Domínguez. He joined the San Martín Military College on February 19, 1895; then in December 1896 he started his military career in the 7th Cavalry Regiment. He then went on to the 3rd Regiment, where he was promoted to lieutenant in 1904.

In 1919, Varela participated in the repression of workers' strikes during the Tragic Week, under the command of Luis Dellepiane.

Patagonia rebelde In November 1920, a rural workers' strike broke out in Santa Cruz, which went down in history as Patagonia Rebelde or Patagonia Tragica (Rebel Patagonia or Tragic Patagonia). Varela was appointed by Hipólito Yrigoyen to try to smooth things out between the parties. After meeting with the strikers, an agreement was reached. However, when Varela withdrew from Patagonia, the ranchers did not comply and the strike began again as if there had been no agreement.