Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires This article is about the capital city of Argentina. For its culture and the dialect spoken in the city and in some the broader conurbation, see Greater Buenos Aires. For other parts of the country. This is because in the last the province, see Buenos Aires Province. For other uses, 150 years the city, and the country in general, has been see Buenos Aires (disambiguation). a major recipient of millions of immigrants from all over the world, making it a melting pot where several ethnic groups live together and being considered as one of the Buenos Aires (/ˌbweɪnəs ˈɛəriːz/ or /-ˈaɪrɪs/;[3] Spanish most diverse cities of Latin America.[15] pronunciation: [ˈbwenos ˈai̯ɾes]) is the capital and most populous city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the South American continent’s southeastern coast. “Buenos 1 Etymology aires” can be translated as “fair winds” or “good airs”, but the first one was the meaning intended by the founders in Main article: Names of Buenos Aires the 16th century, by the use of the original name “Real It is recorded under the archives of Aragonese that Cata- de Nuestra Señora Santa María del Buen Ayre”. The Greater Buenos Aires conurbation, which also includes several Buenos Aires Province districts, constitutes the fourth-most populous metropolitan area in the Americas, with a population of around 17 million.[1] The city of Buenos Aires is neither part of Buenos Aires Province nor the Province’s capital; rather, it is an autonomous district.[4] In 1880, after decades of politi- cal infighting, Buenos Aires was federalized and removed from Buenos Aires Province.[5] The city limits were en- larged to include the towns of Belgrano and Flores; both are now neighborhoods of the city. The 1994 consti- tutional amendment granted the city autonomy, hence its formal name: Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires (Autonomous City of Buenos Aires). Its citizens first elected a chief of government (i.e. mayor) in 1996; previ- Aldus verthoont hem de stadt Buenos Ayrros geleegen in Rio ously, the mayor was directly appointed by the President de la Plata, painting by a Dutch sailor who anchored at the port of the Republic. around 1628. Buenos Aires is considered an 'alpha city' by the study lan missionaries and Jesuits arriving in Cagliari (Sardinia) [6] GaWC5. Buenos Aires’ quality of life was ranked 81st under the Spanish Crown, after its capture from the in the world and one of the best in Latin America in 2012, Pisans in 1324 established their headquarters on top of with its per capita income among the three highest in the a hill that overlooked the city.[16] The hill was known to [7][8] region. It is the most visited city in South America, them as Buen Ayre (or “Bonaria” in Sardinian language), and the second-most visited city of Latin America (be- as it was free of the foul smell prevalent in the old city (the [9] hind Mexico City). castle area), which is adjacent to swampland. During the Buenos Aires is a top tourist destination,[10] and is known siege of Cagliari, the Aragonese built a sanctuary to the for its preserved Spanish/European-style architecture[11] Virgin Mary on top of the hill. In 1335, King Alfonso and rich cultural life.[12] Buenos Aires held the 1st Pan the Gentle donated the church to the Mercedarians, who American Games in 1951 as well as hosting two venues built an abbey that stands to this day. In the years after in the 1978 FIFA World Cup. Buenos Aires will host that, a story circulated, claiming that a statue of the Vir- the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics[13] and the 2018 G20 gin Mary was retrieved from the sea after it miraculously summit.[14] helped to calm a storm in the Mediterranean Sea. The statue was placed in the abbey. Spanish sailors, especially Buenos Aires is a multicultural city, being home to mul- Andalusians, venerated this image and frequently invoked tiple ethnic and religious groups. Several languages are the “Fair Winds” to aid them in their navigation and pre- spoken in the city in addition to Spanish, contributing to vent shipwrecks. A sanctuary to the Virgin of Buen Ayre 1 2 2 HISTORY would be later erected in Seville.[16] In the first foundation of Buenos Aires, Spanish sailors arrived thankfully in the River de la Plata by the blessings of the “Santa Maria de los Buenos Aires”, the “Holy Vir- gin Mary of the Good Winds” who was said to have given them the good winds to reach the coast of what is today the modern city of Buenos Aires.[17] Pedro de Mendoza called the city “Holy Mary of the Fair Winds”, a name suggested by the chaplain of Mendoza’s expedition – a devotee of the Virgin of Buen Ayre – after the Sardinian “Madonna de Bonaria”[18] (that is still to this day the patroness of Sardinia[19]). Mendoza’s settlement soon came Juan de Garay founding Buenos Aires in 1580. The initial settle- under attack by indigenous people, and was abandoned in [17] ment, founded by Pedro de Mendoza, had been abandoned since 1541. 1542. For many years, the name was attributed to a Sancho del Campo, who is said to have exclaimed: How fair are the winds of this land!, as he arrived. But Eduardo Madero, in 1882 after conducting extensive research in Spanish archives, ultimately concluded that the name was indeed February 1536 by a Spanish expedition led by Pedro de closely linked with the devotion of the sailors to Our Lady Mendoza. The settlement founded by Mendoza was lo- of Buen Ayre.[20] cated in what is today the San Telmo district of Buenos A second (and permanent) settlement was established in Aires, south of the city centre. 1580 by Juan de Garay, who sailed down the Paraná River More attacks by the indigenous people forced the set- from Asunción (now the capital of Paraguay). Garay pre- tlers away, and in 1542 the site was abandoned.[25][26] served the name originally chosen by Mendoza, calling A second (and permanent) settlement was established on the city Ciudad de la Santísima Trinidad y Puerto de Santa 11 June 1580 by Juan de Garay, who arrived by sailing María del Buen Aire (“City of the Most Holy Trinity and down the Paraná River from Asunción (now the capi- Port of Saint Mary of the Fair Winds”). The short form tal of Paraguay). He dubbed the settlement “Santísima “Buenos Aires” became the common usage during the Trinidad” and its port became “Puerto de Santa María de 17th century.[21] los Buenos Aires.”[21] The usual abbreviation for Buenos Aires in Spanish is From its earliest days, Buenos Aires depended primarily Bs.As.[22] It is common as well to refer to it as “B.A.” on trade. During most of the 17th and 18th centuries, or “BA” /ˌbiːˈeɪ/ bee-AY).[23] Spanish ships were menaced by pirates, so they devel- While “BA” is used more by expats residing in the city, oped a complex system where ships with military pro- the locals more often use the abbreviation “Baires”, in one tection were dispatched to Central America, cross the word. land, from there to Lima, Peru and from it to the in- ner cities of the viceroyalty. Because of this, products took a very long time to arrive in Buenos Aires, and the 2 History taxes generated by the transport made them prohibitive. This scheme frustrated the traders of Buenos Aires, and a thriving contraband industry developed. This also in- See also: Timeline of Buenos Aires stilled a deep resentment among porteños towards the Spanish authorities.[24] Sensing these feelings, Charles III of Spain progressively 2.1 Colonial times eased the trade restrictions and finally declared Buenos Aires an open port in the late 18th century. The capture of Porto Bello by British forces also fueled the need to Seaman Juan Díaz de Solís, navigating in the name of foster commerce via the Atlantic route, to the detriment Spain, was the first European to reach the Río de la Plata of Lima-based trade. One of his rulings was to split a in 1516. His expedition was cut short when he was killed region from the Viceroyalty of Perú and create instead the during an attack by the native Charrúa tribe in what is Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata, with Buenos Aires as now Uruguay. the capital. However, Charles’s placating actions did not The city of Buenos Aires was first established as Ciudad have the desired effect, and the porteños, some of them de Nuestra Señora Santa María del Buen Ayre[24] (literally versed in the ideology of the French Revolution, became “City of Our Lady Saint Mary of the Fair Winds”) after even more convinced of the need for independence from Our Lady of Bonaria (Patroness Saint of Sardinia) on 2 Spain. 2.3 19th and 20th century 3 2.2 War of independence See also: Argentine War of Independence During the British invasions of the Río de la Plata, British Impression of the Buenos Aires Cathedral by Carlos Pellegrini, 1829. conflicts of the 19th century, can be traced back to these contrasting views. In the months immediately following Emeric Essex Vidal, General view of Buenos Ayres from the the 25 May Revolution, Buenos Aires sent a number of Plaza de Toros, 1820. In this area now lies the Plaza San Martín. military envoys to the provinces with the intention of ob- taining their approval.

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