AA SnapshotSnapshot ofof ArgentinaArgentina andand UruguayUruguay Presented for the United Nations Association – Houston Chapter By Bryant Evans, Houston Community College – Northwest [email protected] November 14, 2006 WhatWhat isis thethe FulbrightFulbright--HaysHays Program?Program? “The Fulbright Program aims to bring a little more knowledge, a little more reason, and a little more compassion into world affairs and thereby to increase the chance that nations will learn at last ttoo live iinn peace and friendship.” -J. William Fulbright The FulbrighFulbrightt-Hays travel seminars are short term study abroad programs for primary through postsecondary instructors. The aim of the program is to improve understanding and knowledge of the cultures and peoples of other countries. AA SnapshotSnapshot ofof ArgentinaArgentina andand UruguayUruguay I. AA VirtualVirtual VisitVisit toto ArgentinaArgentina andand UruguayUruguay II. SpotlightSpotlight onon BuenosBuenos AiresAires andand MontevideoMontevideo III. ThreeThree UNESCOUNESCO WorldWorld HeritageHeritage SitesSites IV. DiscussionDiscussion andand QuestionsQuestions I.I. AA VirtualVirtual VisitVisit ToTo ArgentinaArgentina SoundsSounds ofof ArgentinaArgentina Source: www.fadu.uba.ar/sitios/sicyt/color/galeria.htm ArgentinaArgentina Official name: Argentine Republic Independence: July 9, 1816 Area: 1.1 million square miles Population (2005): 39.39.33 million PerPercentcent Urban (2005): 90.6% LaLargestrgest City: Buenos Aires Capital: Buenos Aires Major Language: Spanish Major Religion: Christianity Life Expectancy: 71 years (Male), 78 years (Female) Major Exports: Food and live animals, mineral fuels, cereals, machinery Sources: BBC News Country Profiles and Globalis Global Virtual University, 2006 TheThe ArgentinaArgentina ItineraryItinerary 1.1. BuenosBuenos AiresAires –– JulyJuly 22--88 andand JulyJuly 2020--2222 2.2. IguazuIguazu Falls*Falls* -- JulyJuly 88--1010 3.3. SaltaSalta –– JulyJuly 1010--1414 4.4. PurmamarcaPurmamarca ((JujuyJujuy)*)* -- JulyJuly 1414--1616 5.5. MendozaMendoza –– JulyJuly 1616--2020 (with(with visitvisit intointo thethe Andes)Andes) *Denotes a location that is home to a UNESCO World Heritage Site BuenosBuenos AiresAires Founded in 1536; again in 1580 Situated along the banks of the Rio de la Plata Argentina’s capital and largest city with a metro population of over 12 million residents One of the places where tango first took form. Has been described as the “Paris of South America”. ImagesImages ofof BuenosBuenos AiresAires SaltaSalta Situated at 3,900 feet in the Lerma Valley of Northwest Argentina Founded in 1582; served as regional crop production center and trade outpost A city known for its outstanding colonial architecture Has a population today of around 531,000 residents ImagesImages ofof SaltaSalta PurmamarcaPurmamarca A small village in the Argentina’s northwestern-most province of Jujuy Sits within the Quebrada de Humahuaca at nearly 7,200 feet in elevation Means “town of the virgin land” The village sits at the base of the “Cerro de los Siete Colores” ImagesImages ofof PurmamarcaPurmamarca MendozaMendoza th Argentina’s 4 largest city today with 850,000 residents Founded in 1561 Located in the west-central part of the country at the base of the Andes Mountains Is situated in the heart of Argentina’s wine country City developed around 5 major squares, constructed after major earthquake of 1861 ImagesImages ofof MendozaMendoza VisitVisit intointo thethe AndesAndes MountainsMountains TheThe AndesAndes isis thethe world’sworld’s longestlongest mountainmountain chainchain ItIt isis homehome toto thethe highesthighest peakpeak inin thethe westernwestern andand southernsouthern hemisphereshemispheres (Cerro(Cerro AconcaguaAconcagua)) UruguayUruguay Official name: Eastern Republic of Uruguay Independence: August 25, 1825 Area: 68,037 square miles Population (2005): 3.5 million PerPercentcent Urban (2005): 93.0% LaLargestrgest City: Montevideo Capital: Montevideo Major Language: Spanish Major Religion: Christianity Life Expectancy: 72 years (Male), 79 years (Female) Major Exports: Meat, rice, dairy products, leather, vehicles, wool Sources: BBC News Country Profiles and Globalis Global Virtual University, 2006 TheThe UruguayUruguay ItineraryItinerary 1.1. MontevideoMontevideo –– JulyJuly 2222--2828 2.2. PuntaPunta deldel EsteEste –– JulyJuly 2828--3030 3.3. ColoniaColonia** -- JulyJuly 3030 –– AugustAugust 11 *Denotes a location that is home to a UNESCO World Heritage Site MontevideoMontevideo City was founded between 1724- 1730 as a Spanish fortification Situated on the eastern banks of the Rio de la Plata By far Uruguay’s largest city with 1.3 million residents La Rambla is one of the defining features of the city ImagesImages ofof MontevideoMontevideo PuntaPunta deldel EsteEste Considered a part of the “Uruguayan Riviera” A scenic resort area with beautiful beaches, luxury hotels and restaurants Located at the point where the Rio de la Plata meets the Atlantic Ocean Home to the famous Uruguayan artist Carlos Paez Vilaro ImagesImages ofof PuntaPunta deldel EsteEste ColoniaColonia Founded in 1680 by the Portuguese along the Rio de la Plata Symbolic site of the struggle between the Portuguese and Spanish in the region Largely destroyed in 1777 but rebuilt by Spaniards Plaza de los Toros - an old bull ring that operated between 1910-12. Today a sleepy tourist town of about 29,000 residents ImagesImages ofof ColoniaColonia II.II. SpotlightSpotlight onon BuenosBuenos AiresAires andand MontevideoMontevideo Part of the Fulbright-Hays seminar entails developing a curriculum unit that you can bring into your classrooms and also share with other educators The curriculum unit I developed is centered on the geographic concept of urban pprimacyrimacy A primate citcityy represents an urban settlement that is at least twice the size of the second largest urban settlement in a given country and dominates the urban structure of a country’s society. Urban Primacy in Argentina and Uruguay nd Buenos Aires is 8.8 times larger than Argentina’s 2 largest city of Cordoba nd Montevideo is 12.8 times larger ththanan Uruguay’s 2 largest city of Salto HowHow andand whywhy diddid BuenosBuenos AiresAires becomebecome aa primateprimate city?city? 1) Advantageous location 2) Political Developments • A) Establishment of city as capital of the Viceroyalty of the Rio de la Plata in 1776 • B) Buenos Aires’ newly defined political role in 1880 Map of Buenos Aires Circa 1620 3) Transportation and economic Source: J.M. Olivero developments in late 19th century • A) Central role and position in Argentina’s railroad development • B) Impact of Argentina’s explosive agricultural export economy growth Modern Argentina • C) Port development and Domestic improvement over time Flight Map Source: 4) IndIndustrialustrial and cocommercialmmercial growth Aerolineas throughout the 20th century Argentinas SymbolicSymbolic LandscapesLandscapes ofof BuenosBuenos AiresAires Avenue 9 de Julio Teatro with the Colon obelisk National Palacio de Congress Tribunales Source of photos: Bryant Evans July 2006 Fulbright Hays Travel Seminar ArgentineArgentine PerceptionsPerceptions andand PerspectivesPerspectives From within Buenos Aires From other areas of Argentina Feelings of pride, worldliness, Mixed feelings; proud in many deep rooted sense of ways of what Buenos Aires attachment, and nostalgia. represents, but can do without the “porteno attitude”. “We love our city very much. Even when it is chaos to live here, we like it. It’s some sort of “Portenos have a feeling that contradiction – we complain they are Argentina. They are about the traffic, the lifestyle in not always aware of the the big city, the pollution, etc., diversity of cities, cultures, etc. At the same time I guess we and landscapes throughout feel proud of such an incredible Argentina. city at the ‘end of the world’.” • Interview with a citizen of • Interview with a citizen of Mendoza, July 2006. Buenos Aires, July 2006. HowHow andand whywhy diddid MontevideoMontevideo becomebecome aa primateprimate city?city? 1) Advantageous location – protected harbor and hills for development of defense 2) The best natural port in the Rio de la Plata region 3) Surpassed Colonia as Old Map of Montevideo circa 1783 the key city in the Banda Source: J.M. Olivero Oriental in late 18th century 4) Growing role as political and commercial center Modern Political th th throughout 19 and 20 Map of Uruguay centuries; inertia Source: J.M. Olivero SymbolicSymbolic LandscapesLandscapes ofof MontevideoMontevideo Teatro Solis Legislative Palace Source of photos: Bryant Evans July 2006 Fulbright Hays Travel Seminar UruguayanUruguayan PerceptionsPerceptions andand PerspectivesPerspectives From within Montevideo From other areas of Uruguay Feelings of pride, sense of history Montevideo is seen as the “big and sentimentality, as city”; one of opportunities but also representative of the country and one of risks; a city that is as a portal between Uruguay and sometimes more concerned with the outside world. international connections rather than domestic ones. “Montevideo constitutes a metaphorical element of Uruguay.” “People from Montevideo think they • Interview with a citizen of are the head of our body, and that Montevideo, July 2006. the rest of the country are ‘gauchos’.” • Interview with a citizen from Salto, July 2006. III.III. ThreeThree UNESCOUNESCO WorldWorld HeritageHeritage