Following the arrival of Don Justo de Espada, a gentleman from Malaga, Spain, between 1869 and 1870, news of the emergence of spiritism and its spread in Europe came to light.

Immediately linked to important businessmen and professionals of the city, Justo de Espada organised the first experimental group, which held its sessions in the upper rooms of the pharmacy of one of the members, located on the corner of Corrientes and Carlos Pellegrini, precisely opposite the Church of San Nicolás, which was then located on the approximate site where the Obelisk stands today.

The phenomena of physical effects - characteristic of the first stage of the spread of spiritism in the world - were “extremely convincing“, although generally of a frivolous nature, and were reproduced at breakneck speed (knocking, levitation, displacements, communication with the alphabet by means of knocking, etc.).

Attracted by this novelty, research groups multiplied in a short time, but there were also those among the curious who noticed that the phenomena "were a sure sign that there was an intelligent principle in them, a truth still covered by mysterious veils, for the clarification of which study, together with methodical observation, was necessary".

On the one hand, there were those who were exclusively interested in "social entertainment", and on the other hand, there were those who were driven by the scientific, philosophical and religious derivation of the astonishing facts, who came together and gave rise to the appearance of the first serious institutions whose objective was the study of the spiritist doctrine.

In 1877, the only existing society in Buenos Aires was "Constancia", an initiative of a theoretical-practical group whose founder was the language teacher Ángel Scarnicchia. In April 1880, Antonio Ugarte and his wife Rosa Basset founded "La Fraternidad".

By 1888, in contrast to these serious groups, the misnamed spiritists were already on the rise, and under this title they carried out all kinds of shady dealings and presented themselves as healers, healers of misunderstandings, with a marked discredit to those who were determined to make known the philosophy that emerged with the work of Allan Kardec.

They were impostors who exploited the credulity and naivety of the people, speculating on the sure returns from predictions and divination. The sensible, well-meaning spiritists, faced with this situation, felt the deep need to create a common front to combat them properly.

On the initiative of Antonio Ugarte, the Argentine Spiritism Federation was created in 1888. Its first Board of Directors was formed in 1890 and had Antonio Ugarte as President. In February 1891, the magazine "La Fraternidad" became the journalistic organ of the Federation, directed by Manuel Sáenz Cortés.

That same year he began a dialogue with the President of the "Constancia" Society, Cosme Mariño, although it was not until November 1899 that the first preparatory meeting took place in the premises of "La Fraternidad". Ugarte's words at that time clearly conveyed his mature thinking:

"One of the greatest evils of Spiritism consists in the existence of groups which call themselves spiritists, and which only succeed in discrediting the idea, through the mystifications and obsessions to which they are subjected: either because individuals guided by personal and selfish interests are introduced into these Centres, or because those who have founded them lack the necessary experience and knowledge to bring to a successful conclusion an undertaking of such magnitude, bristling with difficulties; these groupings do a grave evil to the cause, which is beyond doubt, because by the scandals they provoke and the ridiculous practices to which they indulge, they make the profane believe that spiritism is reduced to a manifest deception, and to a mystification which concludes in madness or hallucination".

In March 1900, the Basis of the Confederation project was discussed, and finally the final meeting was held on 14 June 1900, at which 15 institutions were represented.

The President's proposal that the Argentine Spiritism Confederation be constituted was unanimously accepted.

Three of them have survived in the Capital: "Constancia", "La Fraternidad" and "Providencia"; and one in Pehuajó: "Sáenz Cortés".