History

History of Mar del Plata

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The first European navigator to visit the beaches and cliffs of what one day would
become Mar del Plata was Sir Francis Drake in his 1577 circumnavigation voyage.
He introduced the name Cape Lobos in the cartography of his time, due to the
large colony of sea lions (lobos de mar in Spanish) around the cape today known
as Cabo Corrientes. Just four years later, the Spanish Governor of the River Plate,
Don Juan de Garay (second founder of Buenos Aires) explored the area by land,
and paid tribute to the beautiful landscape by describing it as a muy galana costa
(a very elegant shore). This is today one of the city's favourite mottos.

In 1746, by order of the Spanish Kingdom, a Jesuit Order's mission was installed
near what is now Laguna de los Padres, some eight miles west of the city, but it
was abandoned after a series of northern Tehuelches attacks, led by native
chieftain Cangapol. It was not populated again by Europeans until 1856, when a
meat-salting facility was built, and a stable population remained there.

Foundation and Development (1874-1930)

The town was founded on February 10, 1874 by governmental decree, and by
initiative of Patricio Peralta Ramos. It is said that Pedro Luro, a Basque merchant,
had the idea of turning the growing town into a European-style bathing resort
three years later. As the railway began to expand into the province, previously
isolated settlements became accessible to visitors from the capital; the first
passenger train arrived here from Buenos Aires in September of 1886. The
subsequent opening of the town's first hotel - the luxurious Hotel Bristol - in 1888
was a great occasion for the Buenos Aires elite, many of whom travelled down for
the opening on an overnight train.

The railroad also paved the way to the arrival of European immigrants, mainly
Italians, Spaniards and French. Among the Italians, Sicilians and Calabrians started
the first fishing activities in the 1890s, although the port of Mar del Plata would
only be built in 1916 by a French company. The project was designed and directed
by the local engineer Federico Beltrami, son of a Swiss-Italian immigrant,
Francesco Beltrami, himself the first recorded builder in the town. Mar del Plata's
initial success aside, the richest of Argentina's very rich continued to make their
regular pilgrimages to Europe. It took the outbreak of war in Europe to dampen
Argentine enthusiasm for the journey across the Atlantic and to establish the town
as an exclusive tourist destination. Indeed, the building industry also began in this
period, in order to satisfy the demands of the new resort. The different guilds were
led mostly by residents originally from Northern Italy, but the next generation
included people of Spaniard and Southern Italian stock.

This social background increased the tensions between the elite and the
established population. The political intervention of the central power, held by the
Conservative Party, in the Municipality's institutions prompted a 1911 Manifiesto
from some residents seeking to diminish the national oligarchy influence over
local affairs. The following moves brought the Socialists to power in 1919, an
audacious shift in the summer residence of the Argentine aristocracy. The national
Government was also taken over by the Radical Civic Union, its leader, Hipolito
Yrigoyen becoming President of the Republic.

Mass Tourism (1930-1970)

The first military coup in Argentina's history took place on September 6, 1930,
restoring the conservative hegemony in all levels of Government, including the
local one. Although unpopular and fraudulent, this old new order brought some
progress and investment to an ailing country in the climax of the great depression.
Mass tourism began to arrive in this decade, helped by improved roads, but it took
off in the 1940s and 1950s, when the development of union-run hotels under the
Perón presidency put the city within the reach of Argentina's middle and working
classes. Peronism, even if elected by overwhelming popular vote, kept some of
the Conservative hegemonic practices. This was especially noted in Mar del Plata,
where the internal disputes inside the party led to a succession of Comisionados;
de facto Mayors imposed by the provincial Governor. None of the Peronist Mayors
elected by vote completed his term in office in this nine years period. On the other
hand, the social changes promoted by Perón boosted Mar del Plata's economy and
middle class as never before.

But allegations of populism, corruption and mismanagement reached the point of
no return. The Revolución Libertadora, a combined military and civilian uprising,
overthrew Perón on September 16, 1955. In Mar del Plata, as in other places of the
country, the Navy supported the rebels and the Army remained loyal to the
Government. The naval base outskirts and some points of the city were subjected
to heavy shelling from the sea, before the loyalist forces could be dispersed. The
action was executed by the cruiser ARA 9 de Julio (former USS Boise), a squadron
of destroyers and the corvette ARA Republica (former HMS Smylax), the latter
inside the port itself. Two fishing boats (Miguel Angel & Corsario) evacuated non
essential personnel from the base, the latter running aground in the process.

If the '50s were years of economic boom for Mar del Plata, the '60s saw a
skyrocketing development of the building industry, which reached the peak of its
activity. The rate of construction per square feet was the highest in the world,
surpassing even that of São Paulo, Brazil. Like in the '30s, the growth took place
during a period of political turmoil. Peronism was proscribed by the military, but
there were some constitutional intervals, all of them dominated by the Socialists at
local level. It was certainly one of the most successful decades in Mar del Plata's
history.

Crisis and Recovery (1970-1980)

The '70s and '80s showed some decline. Newer resorts became more and more
attractive for so-called alternative tourism, and the high-profile visitors of the past
shifted their attention to the beaches of Uruguay and Brazil. The success of each
summer season's hinged on the financial fluctuations of the currency, amid
periods of inflation and crisis that discouraged the middle-class to invest in Mar
del Plata. These years marked the taking-off for the fishing industry and the birth
of metal-mechanics factories. The Nacional University was also founded in 1975. In
1978, the town hosted some matches for the football (soccer) FIFA World Cup 1978
organized by Argentina. The Stadium José Maria Minella was specially built for the
occasion.

Democratic Process (1980-2000)

The Socialists were replaced by the Radicals as the main political force in the 1983
election , after the Proceso de Reorganización Nacional, when a military
dictatorship ruled the country. The city had been affected by both the leftist
militant organizations' campaign and the brutal overreaction of the armed forces,
resulting in 10-30,000 desaparecidos across the country, well over 200 of them in
Mar del Plata alone. After the resigning of President Raul Alfonsin amid a financial
quagmire in 1989, the Peronists returned to power. President Carlos Menem made
a huge reform of the Economy, established a parity between the Peso and the
Dollar and sold all the obsolete companies belonging to the Federal Government.
The first years of his mandate brought some prosperity to the Argentinean
middle-class, and there was a rebirth of mass tourism for Mar del Plata. But the
trade deficit, along with an increasing jobless rate harmed the city's investments,
with the subsequent social crisis. For the first time in its history, Mar del Plata saw
emigration and some pockets of extreme poverty in the environs of the city. But
even in such a deep crisis, the Radicals, identified with the mid-classes, kept firmly
in charge of the local Government. The Peronism was succeeded by an Alliance
between the Radicals and other moderate leftist parties in the central power in
1999.

Highs and Lows (2000s)

Street protests hit Mar del Plata during the fall of President De La Rua, December
20 2001. However, after the disastrous administration of President Fernando De la
Rua, and a period of riots and Institutional mess, the country had a swift recovery
under the lead of President Nestor Kirchner (in office since 2003). The new
situation was also felt in Mar del Plata. The local economy grew for the first time in
years and the renewed touristic offer attracted investment, reviving the ailing
market and consumers confidence. International events and conventions returned
to the city, triggering the remodeling of public spaces. The Fourth Summit of the
Americas is an example of the latter. The Summit took place on November 3 and
November 6, 2005. The meeting of 34 countries in the Americas was marked by
large-scale protests and a series of exchanges between Venezuelan President
Hugo Chávez and the U.S. President George W. Bush centering around the
proposed Free Trade Area of the Americas.

The summer season of 2006-2007 saw the biggest increase in tourism with some
400,000 tourists each week during the high season. Hotels were full to capacity
along with restaurants, the beaches and theatres.

Mar del Plata is flourishing and going from strength to strength. It has a very busy
summer period and a very quiet winter. You can enjoy both types of life.