Santiago del Estero
Encyclopedia
Santiago del Estero is the capital of Santiago del Estero Province
in northern Argentina
. It has a population of 244,733 inhabitants, making it the twelfth largest city in the country, with a surface area of 2,116 km². It lies on the Dulce River
and on National Route 9
, at a distance of 1,042 km north-northwest from Buenos Aires
. Santiago del Estero is the oldest city founded by Spanish settlers in Argentina that still exists as such, estimated to be 455 years old, according to historical sources of Argentina. As such, it is nicknamed "Madre de Ciudades" (Mother of Cities), as it is the first city founded in the actual territory of Argentina. It was officially declared "Mother of cities and Cradle of Folklore".
The city houses the National University of Santiago del Estero
, founded in 1973, and Universidad Católica, founded in 1960. Other points of interest include the city's Cathedral, the Santo Domingo Convent, and the Provincial Archeology Museum.
The Santiago del Estero Airport is located 6 kilometres north of the city, and has regular flights to Buenos Aires
and San Miguel de Tucumán.
The climate is subtropical with a dry season — usually winter, and sometimes autumn. It receives an average annual precipitation of 300 mm, and the climate is warm and dry
Santiago del Estero and its region are home to about 100,000 speakers of the local variety of Quechua
, making this the southernmost outpost of the language of the Incas. This is one of the few indigenous languages surviving in modern Argentina.
starting in 1543, Santiago del Estero del Nuevo Maestrazgo was founded on July 25, 1553 by Francisco de Aguirre
(although some historians consider its true foundation to be in 1550). Although it is the oldest city in Argentina, it preserves little of its former Spanish colonial architecture, except for several churches.
The city was the capital of the Intendency of San Miguel de Tucumán during the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata
, and first seat of its bishop; those were later moved to Salta
and Córdoba
respectively.
Santiago del Estero stands in the middle of an extensive but largely semi-arid agricultural region. Originally a dry forest area, the abundance of quebracho
attracted timber industries of British
capital during the 19th century, leading to extensive deforestation; the British-owned Central Argentine Railway
reached the city in 1884.
The province, in 1948, elected a young Peronist
activist, Carlos Juárez
, as its Governor. Santiago del Estero's central political figure during the second half of the 20th Century, he soon became indispensable to local politics (even out of power). A true Caudillo
(strongman), his amiable demeanor belied a record of ruthlessness towards opposition figures.
The construction of the nearby Quiroga Dam (on the Río Dulce
) in 1950, eased the city's chronic water shortage and spurred the growth of local agriculture, based on cotton
and olive
s. The city's first school of higher education, the Instituto Superior del Profesorado (a normal school
), was established in 1953. The city developed a sizable manufacturing sector based on textile mills and other light industry
from the 1950s on, though the public sector remained the largest employer. Santiago del Estero's population reached 100,000 in 1970.
The province, however, remained one of the poorest in Argentina, falling further behind. In 1993, the city made international headlines when rioting erupted around the governor's mansion. What began as a protest by government workers who had not been paid in 3 months, soon grew to 4,000 demonstrators who burned cars, destroyed government buildings and even invaded the homes of prominent politicians.
Juárez, by the 1990s, was readily ordering his opponents' deaths, notably that of former Governor César Iturre in 1996 and of Bishop Gerardo Sueldo in 1998. The 2002 deaths of two local women, however, were traced to Juárez's assassin, Antonio Musa Azar, and in an attempt to retain power, Juárez resigned (appointing his wife, Nina Juárez, governor).
The bid failed, however, as President Néstor Kirchner
signed an executive order removing Mrs. Juárez from her post, in March, 2004. The Juárez couple, in their nineties, subsequently lived under house arrest in the city of Santiago del Estero; the former strongman died in 2010.
The city is notorious for its very hot summer weather: the average high is 34°C (93F) and 40°C (104F) are attained on a regular basis; the highest temperature on record is 46.4°C (115.5F). Nighttime temperatures are 20°C (68F) in midsummer. There is a very short, wetter season in December and January, with up to 140 mm (5.5 in) monthly; however, this rain falls during a handful of very strong thunderstorms, and so the amount that falls on a given year is extremely variable.
Fall is still warm, with average highs of 26°C (79F) in April, and lows of 15°C (59F). Temperatures can still soar to 40°C (104F) in this season. Rainfall is scarce, and becomes practically 0 for 5 months: in August, only 2.4 mm (0.09 inches) are expected. Winters bring very pleasant days (20°C, or 68F) with markedly colder nights (under 6°C, or 43F). Nonetheless, these averages are obtained through an alternance of heat waves and cold waves: short periods of 28°C to 35°C (82F to 95F) are followed by frosty days with highs around 12°C (54F), and sometimes the thermometer fails to reach 8°C (46F). The thermometer does descend below -5°C (23F), and the record low is -13°C (8.6F).
Late in the winter, heat waves become much more common, and in September, 40°C (104F) are already possible. The pattern of intense heat waves followed by cool, windy weather is typical of spring, which is also very dry in Santiago. The high temperatures, extreme dryness and high winds create a very dusty environment. In October, the average high is already 31°C (88F), and rainfall only arrives in late November. December is as hot as January, and the abundant rains make the landscape green for a few months.
Total precipitation is low, 593 mm (23.3 in), and variable from one year to another.
Some important figures related to the history of Santiago del Estero are Colonel Juan Francisco Borges, who led the local batallion of the Army of the North
during the Argentine War of Independence
(and an ancestor of writer Jorge Luis Borges
), the 19th-century painter Felipe Taboada, as well as Francisco René and Mario Roberto Santucho
, founders of the Partido Revolucionario de los Trabajadores (Workers' Revolutionary Party, PRT) and the Ejército Revolucionario del Pueblo
(People's Revolutionary Army, ERP), the two leading guerrilla organizations during the wave of unrest in the 1970s.
The city is home to numerous important Argentine artists, such as Ramon Gómez Cornet, Carlos Sánchez Gramajo, Alfredo Gogna, Ricardo and Rafael Touriño in visual arts, and Jorge Washington Ábalos, Bernardo Canal Feijóo, Clementina Rosa Quenel, Alberto Tasso, Carlos Virgilio Zurita and Julio Carreras (h)
in literature.
Santiago's musical heritage is one of the most important cultural aspects of the city, with typical folklore chacarera
and zamba. Some renowned artists and groups include the Manseros Santiagueños, the Ábalos Brothers (led by Adolfo and Alfredo Ábalos), Jacinto Piedra and Raly Barrionuevo.
Santiago del Estero Province
Santiago del Estero is a province of Argentina, located in the north of the country. Neighbouring provinces are from the north clockwise Salta, Chaco, Santa Fe, Córdoba, Catamarca and Tucumán.-History:...
in northern Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
. It has a population of 244,733 inhabitants, making it the twelfth largest city in the country, with a surface area of 2,116 km². It lies on the Dulce River
Dulce River (Argentina)
The Dulce River is the most important river in the Argentine province of Santiago del Estero....
and on National Route 9
National Route 9 (Argentina)
National Route 9 is a major road in Argentina, which runs from the center-east to the northwest of the country, crossing the provinces of Buenos Aires, Santa Fe, Córdoba, Santiago del Estero, Tucumán, Salta and Jujuy...
, at a distance of 1,042 km north-northwest from Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
. Santiago del Estero is the oldest city founded by Spanish settlers in Argentina that still exists as such, estimated to be 455 years old, according to historical sources of Argentina. As such, it is nicknamed "Madre de Ciudades" (Mother of Cities), as it is the first city founded in the actual territory of Argentina. It was officially declared "Mother of cities and Cradle of Folklore".
The city houses the National University of Santiago del Estero
National University of Santiago del Estero
The National University of Santiago del Estero is an Argentine national university located in the capital of Santiago del Estero Province. Its 1973 establishment gathered the existing Tucumán University school of agronomy and the Córdoba University forestry institute , as well as new schools...
, founded in 1973, and Universidad Católica, founded in 1960. Other points of interest include the city's Cathedral, the Santo Domingo Convent, and the Provincial Archeology Museum.
The Santiago del Estero Airport is located 6 kilometres north of the city, and has regular flights to Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
and San Miguel de Tucumán.
The climate is subtropical with a dry season — usually winter, and sometimes autumn. It receives an average annual precipitation of 300 mm, and the climate is warm and dry
Santiago del Estero and its region are home to about 100,000 speakers of the local variety of Quechua
Quechua languages
Quechua is a Native South American language family and dialect cluster spoken primarily in the Andes of South America, derived from an original common ancestor language, Proto-Quechua. It is the most widely spoken language family of the indigenous peoples of the Americas, with a total of probably...
, making this the southernmost outpost of the language of the Incas. This is one of the few indigenous languages surviving in modern Argentina.
History
After a series of exploratory expeditions from ChileChile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
starting in 1543, Santiago del Estero del Nuevo Maestrazgo was founded on July 25, 1553 by Francisco de Aguirre
Francisco de Aguirre (conquistador)
Francisco de Aguirre was a Spanish conquistador who participated in the conquest of Peru, Bolivia, Chile and Argentina.-Early life:...
(although some historians consider its true foundation to be in 1550). Although it is the oldest city in Argentina, it preserves little of its former Spanish colonial architecture, except for several churches.
The city was the capital of the Intendency of San Miguel de Tucumán during the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata
Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata
The Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata, , was the last and most short-lived Viceroyalty of the Spanish Empire in America.The Viceroyalty was established in 1776 out of several former Viceroyalty of Perú dependencies that mainly extended over the Río de la Plata basin, roughly the present day...
, and first seat of its bishop; those were later moved to Salta
Salta
Salta is a city in northwestern Argentina and the capital city of the Salta Province. Along with its metropolitan area, it has a population of 464,678 inhabitants as of the , making it Argentina's eighth largest city.-Overview:...
and Córdoba
Córdoba, Argentina
Córdoba is a city located near the geographical center of Argentina, in the foothills of the Sierras Chicas on the Suquía River, about northwest of Buenos Aires. It is the capital of Córdoba Province. Córdoba is the second-largest city in Argentina after the federal capital Buenos Aires, with...
respectively.
Santiago del Estero stands in the middle of an extensive but largely semi-arid agricultural region. Originally a dry forest area, the abundance of quebracho
Quebracho tree
Quebracho is a common name in Spanish to describe very hard wood tree species. The etymology of the name derived from quiebrahacha, or quebrar hacha, meaning "axe-breaker".-Species:...
attracted timber industries of British
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
capital during the 19th century, leading to extensive deforestation; the British-owned Central Argentine Railway
Central Argentine Railway
The Central Argentine Railway was one of the Big Four broad gauge, , British-owned companies that built and operated railway networks in Argentina...
reached the city in 1884.
The province, in 1948, elected a young Peronist
Peronism
Peronism , or Justicialism , is an Argentine political movement based on the programmes associated with former President Juan Perón and his second wife, Eva Perón...
activist, Carlos Juárez
Carlos Juárez
Carlos Arturo Juárez was an Argentine politician, Justicialist Party governor or ruler by proxy of Santiago del Estero Province over a 55-year period, leading to his description as a caudillo....
, as its Governor. Santiago del Estero's central political figure during the second half of the 20th Century, he soon became indispensable to local politics (even out of power). A true Caudillo
Caudillo
Caudillo is a Spanish word for "leader" and usually describes a political-military leader at the head of an authoritarian power. The term translates into English as leader or chief, or more pejoratively as warlord, dictator or strongman. Caudillo was the term used to refer to the charismatic...
(strongman), his amiable demeanor belied a record of ruthlessness towards opposition figures.
The construction of the nearby Quiroga Dam (on the Río Dulce
Dulce River (Argentina)
The Dulce River is the most important river in the Argentine province of Santiago del Estero....
) in 1950, eased the city's chronic water shortage and spurred the growth of local agriculture, based on cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
and olive
Olive
The olive , Olea europaea), is a species of a small tree in the family Oleaceae, native to the coastal areas of the eastern Mediterranean Basin as well as northern Iran at the south end of the Caspian Sea.Its fruit, also called the olive, is of major agricultural importance in the...
s. The city's first school of higher education, the Instituto Superior del Profesorado (a normal school
Normal school
A normal school is a school created to train high school graduates to be teachers. Its purpose is to establish teaching standards or norms, hence its name...
), was established in 1953. The city developed a sizable manufacturing sector based on textile mills and other light industry
Light industry
Light industry is usually less capital intensive than heavy industry, and is more consumer-oriented than business-oriented...
from the 1950s on, though the public sector remained the largest employer. Santiago del Estero's population reached 100,000 in 1970.
The province, however, remained one of the poorest in Argentina, falling further behind. In 1993, the city made international headlines when rioting erupted around the governor's mansion. What began as a protest by government workers who had not been paid in 3 months, soon grew to 4,000 demonstrators who burned cars, destroyed government buildings and even invaded the homes of prominent politicians.
Juárez, by the 1990s, was readily ordering his opponents' deaths, notably that of former Governor César Iturre in 1996 and of Bishop Gerardo Sueldo in 1998. The 2002 deaths of two local women, however, were traced to Juárez's assassin, Antonio Musa Azar, and in an attempt to retain power, Juárez resigned (appointing his wife, Nina Juárez, governor).
The bid failed, however, as President Néstor Kirchner
Néstor Kirchner
Néstor Carlos Kirchner was an Argentine politician who served as the 54th President of Argentina from 25 May 2003 until 10 December 2007. Previously, he was Governor of Santa Cruz Province since 10 December 1991. He briefly served as Secretary General of the Union of South American Nations ...
signed an executive order removing Mrs. Juárez from her post, in March, 2004. The Juárez couple, in their nineties, subsequently lived under house arrest in the city of Santiago del Estero; the former strongman died in 2010.
Climate
Santiago del Estero lies in a transition zone between more temperate climates, typical of the Pampa, and the hotter climates of the Chaco region: while daytime highs are decidedly very hot, nights tend to cool down more than most locations in the Chaco.The city is notorious for its very hot summer weather: the average high is 34°C (93F) and 40°C (104F) are attained on a regular basis; the highest temperature on record is 46.4°C (115.5F). Nighttime temperatures are 20°C (68F) in midsummer. There is a very short, wetter season in December and January, with up to 140 mm (5.5 in) monthly; however, this rain falls during a handful of very strong thunderstorms, and so the amount that falls on a given year is extremely variable.
Fall is still warm, with average highs of 26°C (79F) in April, and lows of 15°C (59F). Temperatures can still soar to 40°C (104F) in this season. Rainfall is scarce, and becomes practically 0 for 5 months: in August, only 2.4 mm (0.09 inches) are expected. Winters bring very pleasant days (20°C, or 68F) with markedly colder nights (under 6°C, or 43F). Nonetheless, these averages are obtained through an alternance of heat waves and cold waves: short periods of 28°C to 35°C (82F to 95F) are followed by frosty days with highs around 12°C (54F), and sometimes the thermometer fails to reach 8°C (46F). The thermometer does descend below -5°C (23F), and the record low is -13°C (8.6F).
Late in the winter, heat waves become much more common, and in September, 40°C (104F) are already possible. The pattern of intense heat waves followed by cool, windy weather is typical of spring, which is also very dry in Santiago. The high temperatures, extreme dryness and high winds create a very dusty environment. In October, the average high is already 31°C (88F), and rainfall only arrives in late November. December is as hot as January, and the abundant rains make the landscape green for a few months.
Total precipitation is low, 593 mm (23.3 in), and variable from one year to another.
Culture
Army of the North
The Army of the North , contemporaneously called Army of Peru, was one of the armies deployed by the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata in the Spanish American wars of independence. Its objective was freeing the Argentine Northwest and the Upper Peru from the royalist troops of the Spanish...
during the Argentine War of Independence
Argentine War of Independence
The Argentine War of Independence was fought from 1810 to 1818 by Argentine patriotic forces under Manuel Belgrano, Juan José Castelli and José de San Martín against royalist forces loyal to the Spanish crown...
(and an ancestor of writer Jorge Luis Borges
Jorge Luis Borges
Jorge Francisco Isidoro Luis Borges Acevedo , known as Jorge Luis Borges , was an Argentine writer, essayist, poet and translator born in Buenos Aires. In 1914 his family moved to Switzerland where he attended school, receiving his baccalauréat from the Collège de Genève in 1918. The family...
), the 19th-century painter Felipe Taboada, as well as Francisco René and Mario Roberto Santucho
Mario Roberto Santucho
Mario Roberto Santucho was an Argentine revolutionary. He was the leader of ERP . He was killed by the military in a shootout after his hideout was undercovered in 1976. His wife Liliana Delfino was also killed by the military of Argentina the same year.-References:*...
, founders of the Partido Revolucionario de los Trabajadores (Workers' Revolutionary Party, PRT) and the Ejército Revolucionario del Pueblo
People's Revolutionary Army (Argentina)
The Ejército Revolucionario del Pueblo was the military branch of the communist Partido Revolucionario de los Trabajadores in Argentina...
(People's Revolutionary Army, ERP), the two leading guerrilla organizations during the wave of unrest in the 1970s.
The city is home to numerous important Argentine artists, such as Ramon Gómez Cornet, Carlos Sánchez Gramajo, Alfredo Gogna, Ricardo and Rafael Touriño in visual arts, and Jorge Washington Ábalos, Bernardo Canal Feijóo, Clementina Rosa Quenel, Alberto Tasso, Carlos Virgilio Zurita and Julio Carreras (h)
Julio Carreras (h)
Julio Carreras is an Argentine writer and former guerrilla fighter.Born in San Pedro de Guasayán, Santiago del Estero, he studied piano, guitar and the plastic arts from the age of 4 to 14...
in literature.
Santiago's musical heritage is one of the most important cultural aspects of the city, with typical folklore chacarera
Chacarera
The Chacarera is a dance of Argentine origin. It is a genre of folk music that, for many Argentines, serves as a rural counterpart to the cosmopolitan imagery of the Tango...
and zamba. Some renowned artists and groups include the Manseros Santiagueños, the Ábalos Brothers (led by Adolfo and Alfredo Ábalos), Jacinto Piedra and Raly Barrionuevo.
External links
- Santiago del Estero Culture, art, myths: in Spanish.
- Municipality of Santiago del Estero
- Municipal info
- Historia de Santiago del Estero
- Universidad Nacional de Santiago del Estero