About Buenos Aires
The Port of Buenos Aires is situated near the mouth of the Rio de la Plata (Rio Plate), one of the continent’s great navigable waterways, making it a vital distribution point for the southern area of the continent as well as an industrial and agricultural center, bordering as it does an immensely fertile agricultural area for the production of meats and dairy products, tobacco and grains.
Buenos Aires has some beautiful colonial and Victorian architecture, verdant parks, wide boulevards and culturally is very deeply influenced by its European heritage. Museums and houses of culture and the arts abound; art and design are at the forefront and the city exudes a style and elegance all of its own.
A bit of History
The original city of Buenos Aires was founded in 1536 under the name of Santa María del Buen Ayre (Santa Maria of the Fair Wind) by Pedro de Mendoza. This original settlement was subsequently destroyed and then rebuilt nearby by Juan de Garay in 1580. Throughout its history, Buenos Aires grew up as an important center of trade under Spanish rule although the port was twice but unsuccessfully invaded by the British in the early 1800s. The Porteños finally freed themselves from the rule of the Spanish Viceroy on May 25th, 1810, a date which is now celebrated as May Revolution Day although independence from Spain was not declared until 1816. By the 1920s the burgeoning industrial city of Buenos Aires saw heavy immigration from European nations in the early 1900′s, the majority from Spain and Italy, although a great many also from countries including Germany, Poland, Ireland and Portugal. The influx spawned social unheavals and discontent during the 40′s and 50′s which further disintegrated over the subsequent decades into violent political demonstrations and skirmishes including Argentina’s “dirty war” which lead to hundreds of thousands of people being detained and tens of thousands having disappeared. Buenos Aires continues to this day to suffer social disturbances and economic woes in its quest for political and economic stability.
The Tango
One can’t think of Buenos Aires without thinking of the Tango. Emerging from the brothels and bars of the poorer immigrant neighborhoods of the city, the tango has evolved into a complex movement both mystical and sensual, speaking a language all of its own. Buenos Aires offers a number of tango dance schools and academies, and it has become a favorite pastime of visitors to the city to partake in a tango dance class or two while getting to know the city. The instruments of the Tango are the flute, the guitar, violins and the bandoneón, which looks somethings like a button accordion but with several essential differences. Some illustrious composers and interpreters of the Tango include Carlos Gardel, Edmundo Rivero, Astor Piazzolla. Tango orchestras have been lead by such greats as Juan D’Arienzo, Francisco Canaro, Osvaldo Pugliese and Carlos di Sarli. In Buenos Aires, there is an International Tango Festival held yearly in late February/early March with free tango shows in the streets of the city, and in October is a week-long World Tango Festival which also features tango workshops and instruction. Yet another World Tango Festival is held during the 1st week of December prior to Tango Day on December 11th. In the San Telmo neighborhood, tango is danced in the street and in Plaza Dorrego on Sundays. World Tango Festival, Buenos Aires
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