Buenos Aires: a bit of history. Origins of the name Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires: A bit of history
The City of Buenos Aires was founded twice. The first foundation was made by the Spanish Pedro de Mendoza in 1536, who called it City of the Holy Trinity and Puerto de Santa María del Buen Ayre. There the first settlement was installed, which according to the accounts of a crew member, did not prosper due to the difficult living conditions that prevailed and the resistance of the native Querandíes.
The second foundation took place in 1580. This time it was Juan de Garay who, on behalf of the Spanish Crown, baptized it as the City of Trinidad, where it began to develop, on a social and political level, on the current grounds of the Plaza de Mayo. . In 1776 it was designated as the capital of the recent Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata, allowing it to position itself in the commercial market: its port and its connections with the inland cities then became its greatest strength.
Then came times of revolutions seeking independence and Buenos Aires was a necessary participant in the long-awaited Argentine Independence. On May 25, 1810, the Creoles sought to end the Spanish viceregal government and form the First National Government, so that later, on July 9, 1816, the fundamental step towards definitive Independence would be taken in Tucumán.
With the emergence of industries and the railroad, during the second half of the 19th century, the port of Buenos Aires became the strategic point of economic activity in a country that was known as “the granary of the world”. In addition, it was the gateway for the arrival of the first great migratory stream to populate the nation that was promoted by the Argentine State, giving rise to an eclectic culture. It was nurtured by Spaniards, Italians, Syrians, Lebanese, Poles and Russians. Tango emerged -now recognized as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity-, while the “conventillos” and immigrant hotels were the ideal setting for something as special and characteristic of Buenos Aires as “el lunfardo” to be born.
Later, during the 20th century, there was a continuum of migratory waves that arrived from the interior of the country, from Latin American countries and even from Asia. Thus, this city was completed, in which today people of different cultures and religions coexist.
The City had to go through numerous epidemics due to poverty, poor hygiene and overcrowding. In the years that history tells, the worst was the yellow fever, which shook Buenos Aires in 1871, but the City always managed to recover.
In 1880 it became the Federal Capital of the Argentine Republic and, entering the twentieth century hand in hand with progress, it was recognized as one of the great metropolises of the world: since then it has been called “the Paris of South America”, thanks to its architecture, parks and boulevards designed by the Buenos Aires elites with a strong French imprint.
Before the celebration of the Centennial of the May Revolution, in 1910, Avenida de Mayo, the Bosques de Palermo and the Teatro Colón stood out in the festivities. Being faithful to the avant-garde that characterizes it, years later Buenos Aires inaugurated the first subway line in Latin America and the eleventh in the whole world.
In the 1930s, the Obelisk appeared, a porteño icon par excellence and, some time later, Avenida 9 de Julio became the most important artery in the City.
In 1994 Buenos Aires managed to sanction its own constitution and have an autonomous government, elected by its citizens, as a result of the Reform of the Argentine Constitution.
This is only part of its more than 400 years of history, in which Buenos Aires emerged as the cosmopolitan, complex and dynamic city that it is today.
What is the origin of the name Buenos Aires?
The name of Buenos Aires was decided on the first foundation in 1536. Exactly, the name was Real de Nuestra Señora Santa María del Buen Ayre.
The Spanish conqueror Pedro de Mendoza gave that name to the city in honor of the Catholic patron saint of Sevillian sailors, Nuestra Señora del Buen Ayre, also of Buen Aire or the Virgin Bonaira. In the second foundation of the city, in 1580, another Spanish explorer, Juan de Garay, renamed it Ciudad de la Trinidad. And, curiously, that was its official name until just 22 years ago.
1996 was given the actual name: Autonomous City of Buenos Aires. Despite the variety of names, many colloquially call the city “baires” or CABA, for the abbreviation of Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires.
How to pronounce Buenos Aires?
Buenos Aires means “good airs” and the pronunciation is as follows:
