History of Buenos Aires

Actually, the first European to reach the Río de la Plata (the location of present-day Buenos Aires) was the Spaniard, Juan Díaz de Solís, in 1516. His expedition was cut short, however, when he was attacked and killed by native tribesmen. Twenty years later, on 2 February 1536, the city was founded by Pedro de Mendoza, a Spaniard seeking gold. He called it Ciudad de Nuestra Señora Santa María del Buen Ayre (meaning ‘Our Lady of the Fair Winds’). The actual location is today, the Sal Telmo district of Buenos Aires, south of the city centre.

The establishment of trade

From the earliest days, trade was the basis for Buenos Aires’ success. In the 17th and 18th centuries, at Spain’s insistence, all trade with Europe had to pass through Lima, Peru, where taxes were levied and collected. This frustrated the traders of Buenos Aires, who managed to circumvent this taxation through the development of a contraband industry. Along with their frustration, a deep resentment toward the Spanish authorities grew.

Independence from Spain

On 25 May, 1810 the citizens of Buenos Aires managed to oust the Spanish viceroy and establish a provisional government. This date is now officially known as May Revolution Day, and is a national holiday. However, it was not until 1816 that formal independence from Spain was declared.

As Buenos Aires has traditionally been the centre for Argentina’s liberal thinking and free-trade ideas, tensions arose with many of the provinces, which were steeped in a more conservative-Catholic approach to social, political and economic issues. There were actual battles over this issue, which was finally settled in 1880, when Buenos Aires was declared the national capital, and was separated from Buenos Aires province. 

The city became the seat of the federal government, with its mayor appointed by the president. The famous Casa Rosada is the seat of the national government today, and it houses the office of the President of the Republic of Argentina.

Buenos Aires in the 20th century

By the end of the 19th century, the development of the railways had increased Buenos Aires’ economic status, with raw materials flowing into its factories. The city became a cultural centre that ranked alongside European capitals. The Teatro Colón, for example, was one of the main opera venues in the world. 

In the 20th century, Buenos Aires experienced a period of development that witnessed the construction of South America's first subway system and its tallest buildings. 

Immigration from Europe to Argentina was well underway by the 1920s. Buenos Aires saw the arrival of many Europeans and also of people from Argentina’s poorer provinces and neighbouring South American countries. Large shanty towns (villas miseria) sprang up around the city's factories and extensive social and eventually political problems ensued.

Industrial workers from Buenos Aires became the main base of support for the political phenomenon that was known as Peronism. A demonstration on 17 October, 1945, took place in the Plaza de Mayo, and became of major significance in the development of the political future of the city and the country as well. The Plaza de Mayo subsequently became the site for important demonstrations and many of Argentina’s political rallies.

After approximately a decade of Perón’s rule, the country witnessed a military uprising (Revolución Libertadora) on 16 June, 1955, that would see President Perón deposed some three months later. During this uprising, the Plaza de Mayo was bombed, killing more than 350 civilians. This was in fact the only time in the city’s history in which it suffered an air attack.

Argentina after Juan Pern

By the 1970s, there was fighting between left-wing revolutionaries and right-wing paramilitary groups. The latter were supported by Isabel Perón, widow of the previously deposed president. She became president of Argentina in 1974, after Juan Perón's death. She remained in power for only two years – a time during which the country’s economy experienced inflation of 600 per cent per year. The year 1976 saw another military coup. This time, General Jorge Videla was brought to power, with his tenure characterised as the most oppressive in Argentina's history.

Regimes continued to change throughout the 1980s and new economic measures were introduced to stem inflation. The measures were to some extent successful, but there was a related rise in unemployment, which also led to instability. The historic pattern of military intervention, however, seems to have been broken in December of 1990. An attempted coup was quickly put to rest when a majority of the senior commanders remained loyal to the elected government.