SETTELMENT
The settlement of Argentina happened long before the arrival of the Europeans. The north western area of Argentina was first established by the people known as the Diaguita, and further south were the Guarani. These tribes together were the origins of the permanent agriculture civilization in Argentina. These tribesmen were mainly farmers and created the cultivation of maize. They became professionals at domestication crops. Though the Incas were masters at agriculture, this does not mean they did not face troubles. The northern area of Argentina is prone to drought. A lot of the water used had to be brought in by canals engineered by the natives. These canals were more proof that the natives had superb techniques of living on the land. The Northern tribe was also well known for stopping the expansion of the Incas into Argentina. Being able to hold off the Incas when most other tribes could not gave these tribes a fighting chance when the Spaniards landed in Argentina. These tribes were not ones to give in. That is why the first attempt to colonize Argentina by the Spaniards failed.
It was not until the 16th century when the Europeans began to settle here. The year 1516 was when the first European, Juan Diaz de Solis first arrived in Argentina, though he was not the settler here. Solis arrived in Argentina looking for gold. When the Europeans came to South America in their search, they brought over diseases that harshly affected the Inca and Indian population in Argentina. The first settlement, Buenos Aires, happened in 1536 by Pedro de Mendoza, but failed because it was destroyed by the pre-existing Indians. Almost fifty years later in the year 1580, Buenos Aires was conclusively founded again by a Spanish conquistador, Juan de Garay. With the settlement of Buenos Aires, Spanish language, livestock, Catholicism and European traditions were implemented. The livestock that Spain brought with them had successfully multiplied which was then the start of a stable agricultural economy. Buenos Aires today is the capital, largest city in Argentina, second largest city in South America, and largest Spanish speaking county in the south. Finally, on July 9, 1816 Buenos Aires declared independence from Spain and Argentina’s constitution and national government was established in 1861. To help Argentina start to grow their economy, agricultural technologies, strategies, and foreign trade and investments were implemented. In just a short time from declaring independence, Argentina became one of the world’s ten wealthiest nations. The beginning of the 19th, the Argentina War of Independence and Argentina Civil Wars decreased the population of Argentina. During the late 19th and 20th century though, the great European immigration wave to Argentina took place. Then, in 1853, the Constitution of Argentina promoted European immigration by prohibiting barriers on immigration. Lots of immigrants simply came to Argentina for better, simpler lives. The biggest reason for all the immigrants coming to Argentina was to escape the harsh conflict going on in Europe with the World wars. One of the main points of Jared Diamond’s theory of settlement was that different civilizations developed at different speeds because of their geography, not genetics. In all the research I have been doing about Argentina, race never really comes into the big picture. Europeans are the main population of Argentina, but they developed more from the things they had access to. Their agriculture and economical strategies played a big role in their speed of development. They development of Argentina falls into Diamond’s theory of settlement. |
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MAPS
SETTLEMENT POINTS MAPThis map show all the major settlement points of Argentina. As you can see, the area in and around Buenos Aires. The areas that are more populated have more resources to support a large number of people. Buenos Aires is also bordered by the Atlantic Ocean. It was the first place that the Europeans settled, which is another reason why its population is so high.
Source: Map Gallery (181). (2014, January 1). Retrieved September 1, 2014, from http://sedac.ciesin.columbia.edu/maps/gallery/search?facets=region:south america ARGENTINA GRAZING REGIONS
Grazing regions had a lot to do with settlement and population growth. The Europeans who came over to Argentina brought livestock with them hoping they would flourish, they did. The ares that are blue and light purple were the best areas to raise livestock. This brought a lot of people and livestock to these areas when people first settled in Argentina.
Source: Deregibus, A., & Garbulsky, M. (2004, February 1). Argentina. Retrieved September 1, 2014, from http://www.fao.org/ag/agp/AGPC/doc/Counprof/Argentina/argentina.htm |
EXTRA INFROMATION
Argentina: http://www.fao.org/ag/agp/AGPC/doc/Counprof/Argentina/argentina.htm
Argentina Independence: http://www.casahistoria.net/argentina.htm
- In this website, you will find a lot of information about the different regions of Argentina. There are many maps to look at and good information on soils, climates, and resources which all effected the settlement areas of Argentina.
Argentina Independence: http://www.casahistoria.net/argentina.htm
- This site has great information on the first settlement of Argentina and all the processes the settlers when through to gain there independence. There is basic general information about the first settlement, before independence, during independence, and the Argentina constitution. This is a good site to find information on the settlement in Argentina.