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Web References |
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Wikipedia - Argentina
The internet's free encyclopedia has an excellent article about Argentina.
CIA World Factbook - Argentina
Up-to-date statistics and data concerning Argentina and its government. Excellent map.
Argentina Turistica
A good site to visit to view the country from a tourist's point-of-view.
New Advent: Buenos Aires
An authoritative page of facts and history about Argentina's capital and largest city from the Catholic Encyclopedia.
Immigration: Argentina
This page contains an excellent summary of Argentinian history and a detailed discussion of how immigrants helped shape modern Argentinia.
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Argentina: History |
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 When Europeans first visited Argentina in 1502 during a brief reconnaissance voyage captained by Amerigo Vespucci, the country was inhabited by a number of native tribes who had previously thwarted the expansion of the Inca empire into their territories. In 1516, these natives successfully thwarted the first Spanish attempt to colonize the area by killing would-be conquistador Juan Diaz de Solis and many of his men, causing the survivors to flee back to Spain.
One of those survivors, Aleixo Garcia, also survived a shipwreck on the return voyage and was left on an island off Brazil. From there he launched his own expedition through the north of Argentina eight years later, searching for a legendary tribe endowed with vast amounts of silver. He befriended the Guaraní tribe, whose territory also extended into Argentina, and was guided to the fringes of the Inca empire in Bolivia eight years before Pizarro's triumphant expedition which captured the Incan king. Garcia finally met the same fate as de Solis, but word of his exploits attracted Sebastian Cabot who convinced the king of Spain to finance an expedition to the area in 1526.
The discovery of Argentina by the Spanish is allegorically depicted on this 1929 stamp. |
The purpose of the expedition was supposed to be to find a route to the Pacific Ocean, but Cabot quickly became sidetracked by the lure of silver. Starting at the estuary where Argentina's capital, Buenos Aires, now stands Cabot sailed up the Río Paraná, ostensibly looking for a water route to the Pacific, and founded a settlement, later abandoned. Like Garcia, he enlisted the aid of the Guaraní, but was repeatedly attacked by other tribes. After four fruitless years he returned to Spain to face the unhappy sponsor of his expedition. His one lasting accomplishment was to name the estuary where his expedition began the "Rio de la Plata" — River of Silver.
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Stamps of Argentina |
This 75¢ stamp honoring Pope John Paul II was issued by Argentina on April 23, 2005, just 21 days after the pope's death on April 2. For more stamps issued in 2005, visit This Page of Argentina's Postal Authority's website. As is true of many South American countries, the Catholic church played a major historical role and remains very influential.
 The Tango, the dance form that can trace its origins to Buenos Aires, but gained its popularity at the Moulin Rouge in France, is featured on this February 5, 2005, stamp. It's one of a set of two stamps, a joint issue with Thailand to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. The other stamps shows Ram Klong Yao, a traditional dance of Thailand.
 Jorge Luis Borges has had a tremendous influence on world literature, particularly in Latin America. He grew up in the Buenos Aires region, the son of a lawyer father who also had literary ambitions. Although his father's dreams were never realized, his library, stocked with books from all over the world, gave the young Borges the foundation he needed to become a world-class writer and editor.
Borges was master of the short forms: poetry, essays and short stories. He was propelled upon the international literary stage when a group of international publishers awarded him with its first Prix Formentor prize in 1961, along with co-honoree Samuel Beckett.
Wikipedia's article tells his life story. One of his best known stories, The Garden of Forking Paths can be found online. It's a gem.
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Recent Issues |
On September 16, 2006, Argentine issued a set of three stamps picturing grape-growing regions. La Rioja, located in Argentina's northeast, is featured here and is one of Argentina's top three wine producing regions along with Mendoza and Cuyo. The remaining two stamps of the set show the grapes of Catamarca and Neuquén. Argentina is both a top wine-producing and a top wine-consuming country. Wikipedia says that in 2006 Argentina consumed 90% of its own wine, but it still ranks as the 13th largest world exporter. It was only in the 1990s that Argentina began a sustained effort to export wine.
All three stamps in the set are 75¢ denominations.
The beautiful suspension bridge named "Puente San Rocque Gonzales de Santa Cruz" is shown in this 75¢ stamp, one of a set of two stamps issued on October 14, 2006. It's an international bridge, apparently shared with Paraguay.
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Movies |
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Nine Queens is a fun Argentine movie about a pair of con men who hope to make a big score with some forged stamps -- the nine queens of the title. There's good location shots of Buenos Aires. The film's in Spanish, and you can set the subtitles to English.
 
The Official Story tells the story of an Argentine schoolteacher who begins to suspect that her adopted daughter may have come from one of the "disappeared" who vanished during political unrest that swept Argentina after the Falkland Island war. The film won the Academy Award for the best foreign language film in 1986.
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