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Do not fill this in! ==History== {{more citations needed|section|date=January 2020}}<!--notably "War of Independence" and "19th and 20th centuries" sections--> {{for timeline|Timeline of Buenos Aires}} {{Quote box |width=25em |align=left |title_bg=#B0C4DE |title=Timeline of Buenos Aires <br><small>Historical affiliations</small> |fontsize=80% |quote= {{flagicon image|Flag of Cross of Burgundy.svg}} [[Habsburg Spain|Kingdom of Spain - Habsburg]], 1536–1700 <br /> {{flagicon image|Flag of Spain (1760–1785).svg}} [[History of Spain (1700–1808)|Kingdom of Spain - Bourbon]], 1700–1808 <br/> {{flagicon image|Bandera de España 1808-1813.svg}} [[Spain under Joseph Bonaparte|Kingdom of Spain - Bonaparte]], 1808–1810 <br/> {{flagicon image|Flag of Argentina (1818).svg}} [[United Provinces of the Río de la Plata]], 1810–1831 <br /> {{flagicon image|Flag of the Argentine Confederation.svg}} [[Argentine Confederation]], 1831–1852 <br /> {{flagicon image|Flag of the State of Buenos Aires.svg}} [[State of Buenos Aires]], 1852–1861 <br /> {{flag|Argentina}}, 1861–present }} ===Viceregal times=== [[File:Garay2.jpg|thumb|left|[[Juan de Garay]] founding Buenos Aires in 1580. The initial settlement, founded by [[Pedro de Mendoza]], had been abandoned since 1542.]] In 1516, navigator and explorer [[Juan Díaz de Solís]], navigating in the name of Spain, was the first European to reach the [[Río de la Plata]]. His expedition was cut short when he was killed during an attack by the native [[Charrua|Charrúa]] tribe in what is now [[Uruguay]]. The city of Buenos Aires was first established as ''Ciudad de Nuestra Señora Santa María del Buen Ayre''<ref name="Short history"/> (literally "City of Our Lady Saint Mary of the Fair Winds") after [[Shrine of Our Lady of Bonaria|Our Lady of Bonaria]] (Patroness Saint of [[Sardinia]]) on 2 February 1536 by a Spanish expedition led by [[Pedro de Mendoza]]. The settlement founded by Mendoza was located in what is today the [[San Telmo]] district of Buenos Aires, south of the [[Buenos Aires Central Business District|city center]]. More attacks by the indigenous people forced the settlers away, and in 1542, the site was thusly abandoned.<ref>[http://www.laeducacion.com/vinculos/materias/historia/not020107.htm Aborígenes de la Argentina] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140605092500/http://www.laeducacion.com/vinculos/materias/historia/not020107.htm |date=5 June 2014 }}. (Spanish) John D. Torres Barreto. Retrieved 9 February 2012.</ref><ref>[http://www.mendoza.edu.ar/efemerid/p_mendoz.htm Pedro de Mendoza]. (Spanish) Retrieved 8 February 2012. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140711021051/http://www.mendoza.edu.ar/efemerid/p_mendoz.htm |date=11 July 2014 }}</ref> A second (and permanent) settlement was established on 11 June 1580 by [[Juan de Garay]], who arrived by sailing down the [[Paraná River]] from [[Asunción]] (now the capital of Paraguay). He dubbed the settlement "Santísima Trinidad" and its port became "Puerto de Santa María de los Buenos Aires."<ref name="provincia"/> From its earliest days, Buenos Aires depended primarily on trade. During most of the 17th century, Spanish ships were menaced by pirates, so they developed a complex system where ships with military protection were dispatched to Central America in a convoy from Seville (the only port allowed to trade with the American colonies) to [[Lima|Lima, Peru]], and from there to the other cities of the viceroyalty. Because of this, products took a very long time to arrive in Buenos Aires, and the taxes generated by the transport made them prohibitive. This scheme frustrated the traders of Buenos Aires, and a thriving informal, yet tolerated by the authorities, contraband industry developed inside the viceroyalties and with the Portuguese. This also instilled a deep resentment among ''[[porteño]]s'' towards the Spanish authorities.<ref name="Short history"/> [[File:Buenos Aires (Aldus Verthoont, ca 1628).jpg|thumb|''Aldus verthoont hem de stadt Buenos Ayrros geleegen in Rio de la Plata'', painting by a Dutch sailor who anchored at the port around 1628.]] Sensing these feelings, [[Charles III of Spain]] progressively eased the trade restrictions before finally declaring Buenos Aires an open port in the late 18th century. The capture of [[Portobelo, Colón|Portobelo]] in Panama by British forces also fueled the need to foster commerce via the Atlantic route, to the detriment of Lima-based trade. One of his rulings was to split a region from the Viceroyalty of Perú and create instead the [[Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata]], with Buenos Aires as the capital. However, Charles's placating actions did not have the desired effect, and the ''porteños'', some of them versed in the ideology of the [[French Revolution]], instead became even more convinced of the need for independence from Spain. ===War of Independence=== {{see also|Argentine War of Independence}} [[File:General view of Buenos Ayres from the Plaza de Toros - Emeric Essex Vidal - Picturesque illustrations of Buenos Ayres and Monte Video (1820).jpg|thumb|[[Emeric Essex Vidal]], ''General view of Buenos Ayres from the Plaza de Toros'', 1820. In this area now lies the [[Plaza San Martín (Buenos Aires)|Plaza San Martín]].]] [[File:Pellegrini Buenos Aires Catedral.jpg|thumb|Impression of the [[Buenos Aires Cathedral]] by ''Carlos Pellegrini'', 1829.]] During the [[British invasions of the Río de la Plata]], British forces attacked Buenos Aires twice. In 1806 the British successfully invaded Buenos Aires, but an army from [[Montevideo]] led by [[Santiago de Liniers]] defeated them. In the brief period of British rule, the viceroy [[Rafael Sobremonte]] managed to escape to [[Córdoba, Argentina|Córdoba]] and designated this city as capital. Buenos Aires became the capital again after its recapture by Argentine forces, but Sobremonte could not resume his duties as viceroy. Santiago de Liniers, chosen as new viceroy, prepared the city against a possible new British attack and repelled a second invasion by Britain in 1807. The militarization generated in society changed the balance of power favorably for the [[criollo people|criollo]]s (in contrast to [[peninsulars]]), as well as the development of the [[Peninsular War]] in Spain. An attempt by the peninsular merchant [[Martín de Álzaga]] to remove Liniers and replace him with a [[Junta (Peninsular War)|Junta]] was defeated by the criollo armies. However, by 1810 it would be those same armies who would support a new revolutionary attempt, successfully removing the new viceroy [[Baltasar Hidalgo de Cisneros]]. This is known as the [[May Revolution]], which is now celebrated as a national holiday. This event started the [[Argentine War of Independence]], and many armies left Buenos Aires to fight the diverse strongholds of royalist resistance, with varying levels of success. The government was held first by two Juntas of many members, then by two [[triumvirate]]s, and finally by a unipersonal office, the [[Supreme Director of the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata|Supreme Director]]. Formal independence from Spain was [[Argentine Declaration of Independence|declared]] in 1816, at the [[Congress of Tucumán]]. Buenos Aires managed to endure the whole [[Spanish American wars of independence]] without falling again under royalist rule. Historically, Buenos Aires has been Argentina's main venue of [[liberalism|liberal]], [[free trade|free-trading]], and foreign ideas. In contrast, many of the provinces, especially those to the city's northwest, advocated a more [[nationalism|nationalistic]] and [[Catholic]] approach to political and social issues. In fact, much of the internal tension in Argentina's history, starting with the centralist-federalist conflicts of the 19th century, can be traced back to these contrasting views. In the months immediately following said "May Revolution", Buenos Aires sent a number of military envoys to the provinces with the intention of obtaining their approval. Instead, the enterprise fueled tensions between the capital and the provinces; many of these missions ended in violent clashes. In the 19th century the city was [[blockade]]d twice by naval forces: by the [[French blockade of the Río de la Plata|French]] from 1838 to 1840, and later by an [[Anglo-French blockade of the Río de la Plata|Anglo-French]] expedition from 1845 to 1848. Both blockades failed to bring the Argentine government to the negotiating table, and the foreign powers eventually desisted from their demands. ===19th and 20th century=== [[File:Av. de Mayo y Lima (ca. 1915).JPG|upright|left|thumb|View of the [[Avenida de Mayo]] in 1915]] During most of the 19th century, the political status of the city remained a sensitive subject. It was already the capital of [[Buenos Aires Province]], and between 1853 and 1860 it was the capital of the seceded [[State of Buenos Aires]]. The issue was fought out more than once on the battlefield, until the matter was finally settled in 1880 when the city was [[Federalization of Buenos Aires|federalized]] and became the seat of government, with its mayor appointed by the president. The [[Casa Rosada]] became the seat of the [[President of Argentina|president]].<ref name="provincia"/> Health conditions in poor areas were appalling, with high rates of tuberculosis. Contemporaneous public health physicians and politicians typically blamed both the poor themselves and their ramshackle tenement houses (conventillos) for the spread of the dreaded disease. People ignored public-health campaigns to limit the spread of contagious diseases, such as the prohibition of spitting on the streets, the strict guidelines to care for infants and young children, and quarantines that separated families from ill loved ones.<ref>Diego Armus, ''The Ailing City: Health, Tuberculosis, and Culture in Buenos Aires, 1870–1950'' (2011)</ref> In addition to the wealth generated by [[Buenos Aires Customs|customs duties]] and Argentine foreign trade in general, as well as the existence of fertile [[pampas]], [[Rail transport in Argentina|railroad development]] in the second half of the 19th century increased the economic power of Buenos Aires as raw materials flowed into its factories. A leading destination for immigrants from Europe, particularly Italy and Spain, from 1880 to 1930, Buenos Aires became a multicultural city that ranked itself alongside the major European capitals. During this time, the [[Teatro Colón|Colón Theater]] became one of the world's top opera venues, and the city became the regional capital of [[Radio in Argentina|radio]], [[Television in Argentina|television]], [[Argentine cinema|cinema]], and [[Theater in Argentina|theater]]. The city's main avenues were built during those years, and the dawn of the 20th century saw the construction of South America's tallest buildings and its first [[Buenos Aires Underground|underground]] system. A second construction boom, from 1945 to 1980, reshaped downtown and much of the city. [[File:Buenos Aires - San Nicolás - Construcción del Obelisco.jpg|thumb|Construction of the [[Obelisk of Buenos Aires]] on the [[9 de Julio Avenue]], 1936.]] Buenos Aires also attracted migrants from Argentina's provinces and neighboring countries. [[Shanty town]]s (''[[villa miseria|villas miseria]]'') started growing around the city's industrial areas during the 1930s, leading to pervasive social problems and social contrasts with the largely upwardly mobile Buenos Aires population. These laborers became the political base of [[Peronism]], which emerged in Buenos Aires during the [[Loyalty Day (Argentina)|pivotal demonstration]] of 17 October 1945, at the [[Plaza de Mayo]].<ref name="Clarín guide">''Guía visual de Buenos Aires centro histórico'', [[Clarín (Argentine newspaper)|''Clarín'']] Viajes, 2001.</ref> Industrial workers of the Greater Buenos Aires industrial belt have been Peronism's main support base ever since, and Plaza de Mayo became the site for demonstrations and many of the country's political events; on 16 June 1955, however, a splinter faction of the Navy bombed the Plaza de Mayo area, killing 364 civilians (see ''[[Bombing of Plaza de Mayo]]''). This was the only time the city was attacked from the air, and the event was followed by a military uprising which deposed President Perón, three months later (see ''[[Revolución Libertadora]]''). In the 1970s the city suffered from the fighting between left-wing revolutionary movements ([[Montoneros]], [[People's Revolutionary Army (Argentina)|ERP]] and F.A.R.) and the [[Right-wing politics|right-wing]] paramilitary group [[Argentine Anticommunist Alliance|Triple A]], supported by [[Isabel Perón]], who became president of Argentina in 1974 after Juan Perón's death. The [[March 1976 coup]], led by General [[Jorge Videla]], only escalated this conflict; the "[[Dirty War]]" resulted in 30,000 ''[[Forced disappearance|desaparecidos]]'' (people kidnapped and killed by the military during the years of the junta).<ref name="Millions">''We are Millions: Neo-liberalism and new forms of political action in Argentina'', Marcela Lópéz Levy, Latin America Bureau, London, 2004. {{ISBN|978-1899365630}}</ref> The silent marches of their mothers ([[Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo]]) are a well-known image of Argentines' suffering during those times. The [[National Reorganization Process|dictatorship]]'s appointed mayor, [[Osvaldo Cacciatore]], also drew up plans for a network of freeways intended to relieve the city's acute traffic gridlock. The plan, however, called for a seemingly indiscriminate razing of residential areas and, though only three of the eight planned were put up at the time, they were mostly obtrusive raised freeways that continue to blight a number of formerly comfortable neighborhoods to this day. [[File:Buenos Aires, 1986.jpg|thumb|[[9 de Julio Avenue]], 1986.]] The city was visited by [[Pope John Paul II]] twice, firstly in 1982 and again in 1987; on these occasions gathered some of the largest crowds in the city's history. The return of democracy in 1983 coincided with a cultural revival, and the 1990s saw an economic revival, particularly in the construction and financial sectors. On 17 March 1992, a bomb [[1992 Israeli Embassy attack in Buenos Aires|exploded in the Israeli Embassy]], killing 29 and injuring 242. Another explosion, on 18 July 1994, [[1994 AMIA bombing|destroyed a building]] housing several [[Jew]]ish organizations, killing 85 and injuring many more, these incidents marked the beginning of [[Middle East]]ern [[terrorism]] to South America. Following a [[Pact of Olivos|1993 agreement]], the [[Constitution of Argentina|Argentine Constitution]] was amended to give Buenos Aires [[autonomy]] and rescinding, among other things, the president's right to appoint the city's mayor (as had been the case since 1880). On 30 June 1996, voters in Buenos Aires chose their first elected mayor, [[List of mayors and chiefs of government of Buenos Aires|Jefe de Gobierno]]. ===21st century=== [[File:Microcentro, Buenos Aires (39921080405).jpg|thumb|left|[[Catalinas Norte]] is an important business complex composed of nineteen commercial office buildings and occupied by numerous leading Argentine companies, foreign subsidiaries, and diplomatic offices. It is located in the [[Buenos Aires Central Business District]].]] In 1996, following the [[1994 amendment of the Argentine Constitution|1994 reform of the Argentine Constitution]], the city held its first mayoral elections under the new statutes, with the mayor's title formally changed to "Head of Government". The winner was [[Fernando de la Rúa]], who would later become President of Argentina from 1999 to 2001. De la Rúa's successor, [[Aníbal Ibarra]], won two popular elections, but was [[impeachment|impeached]] (and ultimately deposed on 6 March 2006) as a result of the fire at the [[República Cromañón nightclub fire|República Cromagnon]] nightclub. In the meantime, [[Jorge Telerman]], who had been the acting mayor, was invested with the office. In the 2007 elections, [[Mauricio Macri]] of the [[Republican Proposal]] (PRO) party won the [[Ballotage in Argentina|second-round]] of voting over [[Daniel Filmus]] of the [[Frente para la Victoria]] (FPV) party, taking office on 9 December 2007. In 2011, the elections went to a second round with 60.96 percent of the vote for PRO, compared to 39.04 percent for FPV, thus ensuring Macri's reelection as mayor of the city with [[María Eugenia Vidal]] as deputy mayor.<ref>[http://especiales.perfil.com/elecciones-capital-2011/resultadosjefe.php Elecciones 2011] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304081711/http://especiales.perfil.com/elecciones-capital-2011/resultadosjefe.php |date=4 March 2016 }} – Perfil</ref> PRO is established in the most affluent area of the city and in those over fifty years of age.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pagina12.com.ar/diario/elpais/1-87136-2007-06-25.html|title=Página/12 :: El país :: Macri ganó en todos lados, pero en el norte ganó más|access-date=8 August 2021|archive-date=8 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210808163247/https://www.pagina12.com.ar/diario/elpais/1-87136-2007-06-25.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The 2015 elections were the first to use an [[electronic voting]] system in the city, similar to the one used in [[Salta Province]].<ref>[http://www.informatesalta.com.ar/noticia.asp?q=79437 Más de 300 mil porteños probaron ayer el voto electrónico] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170622152210/http://informatesalta.com.ar/noticia.asp?q=79437 |date=22 June 2017 }} – InformateSalta, 27 April 2015</ref> In these elections held on 5 July 2015, Macri stepped down as mayor and pursue his [[Argentine general election, 2015|presidential bid]] and [[Horacio Rodríguez Larreta]] took his place as the mayoral candidate for PRO. In the first round of voting, FPV's [[Mariano Recalde]] obtained 21.78% of the vote, while [[Martín Lousteau]] of the ECO party obtained 25.59% and Larreta obtained 45.55%, meaning that the elections went to a second round since PRO was unable to secure the majority required for victory.<ref>[http://www.lanacion.com.ar/1807919-elecciones-portenas-2015-amplio-triunfo-de-horacio-rodriguez-larreta-pero-habria-ballottage-con-martin-lousteau Elecciones porteñas 2015: amplio triunfo de Horacio Rodríguez Larreta, pero habrá ballottage con Martín Lousteau] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150730150032/http://www.lanacion.com.ar/1807919-elecciones-portenas-2015-amplio-triunfo-de-horacio-rodriguez-larreta-pero-habria-ballottage-con-martin-lousteau |date=30 July 2015 }} – La Nacion, 5 July 2015</ref> The second round was held on 19 July 2015 and Larreta obtained 51.6% of the vote, followed closely by Lousteau with 48.4%, thus, PRO won the elections for a third term with Larreta as mayor and [[Diego Santilli]] as deputy. In these elections, PRO was stronger in wealthier northern Buenos Aires, while ECO was stronger in the southern, poorer neighborhoods of the city.<ref>[http://www.lanacion.com.ar/1811251-comparativo-con-la-primera-vuelta-asi-variaron-los-resultados-de-larreta-y-lousteau Mapa de resultados ballottage] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150723072116/http://www.lanacion.com.ar/1811251-comparativo-con-la-primera-vuelta-asi-variaron-los-resultados-de-larreta-y-lousteau |date=23 July 2015 }} – La Nacion, 19 July 2015.</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.buenosairesherald.com/article/194350/pros-rodriguez-larreta-elected-buenos-aires-city-mayor-in-tight-runoff|title=PRO's Rodriguez Larreta elected Buenos Aires city mayor in tight runoff|access-date=14 June 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171022141340/http://www.buenosairesherald.com/article/194350/pros-rodriguez-larreta-elected-buenos-aires-city-mayor-in-tight-runoff|archive-date=22 October 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> On 5 December 2023, [[Jorge Macri]] of PRO was sworn in as new mayor of Buenos Aires City to succeed outgoing Mayor Horacio Rodríguez Larreta of the same party.<ref>{{cite news |title=Jorge Macri sworn in as new mayor of Buenos Aires City {{!}} Buenos Aires Times |url=https://batimes.com.ar/news/argentina/jorge-macri-sworn-in-as-buenos-aires-mayor-promises-to-revise-urban-code.phtml |work=batimes.com.ar |access-date=6 January 2024 |archive-date=6 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240106140129/https://batimes.com.ar/news/argentina/jorge-macri-sworn-in-as-buenos-aires-mayor-promises-to-revise-urban-code.phtml |url-status=live }}</ref> Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. 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