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The history of Argentina has been heavily
influenced by European art, architecture, literature and
lifestyle, but at the same time keeps its own unique image.
Famous writers such as Jorge Luis Borges and Manuel Puig created
their image, whose writings have put Argentina on the map. The
culture of Argentina is embodied in the tango. Argentina is the
place that discovered and made tango into the famous dance that
it is today. You may be inclined to follow the pilgrimage to
Carlos Gardel's life size statue, the famous tango singer, to
pay homage to his impeccable artistic tango abilities. The
liveliness of their famous prose combined with their
electrifying music, dance and romantic language culminates into
a unique place to experience and explore.
Here are some facts about Argentina. It is believed that
Argentina was inhabited 13,000 years ago. You can trust that
archaeologists are still exploring and studying the evidence.
Ferdinand de Magellan touched the shores of Patagonia in 1520
before discovering the strait that connects the Atlantic and
Pacific oceans. And in 1536 Pedro de Mendoza found the
settlement of Santa Maria del Buen Aire, which is today the
Buenos Airesthe capital of Argentina. Interestingly enough
Buenos Aires did not become the capital until 1776, which marked
their independence from Spain.
Argentina like many countries during the 1800s were involved in
the slave trade. And it is said that in 1810, African Americans
in Buenos Aires and surrounding cities made 30% of the
population. However, by the end of the century this demographic
had reduced dramatically to 2%.
Argentina continued to grow and prosper well into the twentieth
century becoming one of the richest countries in the world.
Argentina people were heavily dominated by the Europeans.
However Argentina took a turn for the worse in 1930, when the
first military coup began. And in 1943 Juan Domingo Peron
emerged as the leader of Argentina, but who was also at the
forefront of the coup. He and his charismatic wife Evita Peron,
a champion of the social welfare programs asserted their
popularity on the masses, which evidently led to the demise of
their economic prowess. After 1955, he was overthrown as
president. The years that followed the military coup are
referred to as the years of the Dirty War, which brought the
disappearance of some 30,000 Argentina people. The most famous
victims were the Mothers of Plaza de Mayo. Fortunately the
history of Argentina and the culture of Argentina were resilient
and strong. And now their economy is back on the rise, while
their poverty has been reducing since 2004.
Argentina is still today a prosperous country, and although they
have had their downfalls, they have had many successes as well.
Argentina people are proud of their heritage and will welcome to
share their scars and achievements with anyone who asks. Not to
mention that they are also happy to play soccer as long as you
show an interest and have athletic feet to keep up. This is a
vibrant country to visit that is sure to leave lasting memories.
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