Mar del Plata
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Mar del Plata is an Argentine city located on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean in the Buenos Aires Province, 400 km south of Buenos Aires. Mar del Plata is one of the major fishing ports and the biggest seaside beach resort in Argentina. With a population of 541,733 as per the 2001 census [INDEC], it is the 7th largest urban area in Argentina.
Economy
As an important fishing port, industry concentrates on fish processing and at least two large dockyards [1],[2]. The area is also host to other light industry, such as textile and food manufacturing.
There is a well-developed packaging machines industry, its quality recognized in international markets [3]. One of these companies was one of the pioneers in tea bag automatic packaging [4], exporting its original machine-designs abroad. Another company also exports its products and sold royalties to other countries [5].
During the mid 1980's, Mar del Plata saw the birth of electronics factories, focused mostly on the telecommunications field, two of them succeeding in the international market too [6], [7]. Located southwest of the city there are stonemasons which are used in construction (see Architecture).
As part of the Argentine recreational coast, tourism is one of Mar del Plata's main economic activities. Between four and six million tourists visit Mar del Plata every year, occasionally quadrupling the number of residents. Mar del Plata has sophisticated tourist infrastructure to cater to the industry and as such, casinos, theatres and other tourist attractions are all located there.
History
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 was installed near what is now Laguna de los Padres, some six miles west of the city, but it was abandoned after a series of Indian attacks. 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 1890's, 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 Swtizerland's 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 resort. 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(link In Spanish). The following moves brought the Socialists to power (see Government ) 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 took off in the 1940s and 1950s, with the development of union-run hotels under the Perón presidency putting 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 sucession of Comisionados, de facto Mayors imposed by the provincial Governor. 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 frigate ARA Republica, the last inside the port itself.
If the '50s were years of economic boom for Mar del Plata, the '60s saw a skyrocketing development of the building industry. 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 periods, 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 (1970-2000s)
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 the summer season 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. As a result of internal immigration from depressed regions of the country, the first villas miseria(shanty towns) made their appearance in this decades. By contrast, these years marked the taking-off for the fishing industry and the birth of metal-mechanics factories. The Nacional University was also founded in 1976. In 1978, the town hosted some matches for the football (soccer) FIFA World Cup 1978 organized by Argentina.
The Falklands (Malvinas) War
Army and navy groups based in the town participated in the Falklands (Malvinas) War of 1982 with Britain.
Elite troops (Comandos Anfibios & Buzos Tacticos) from Mar del Plata's Naval Base forced the surrender of the Naval Party 8901 [8] and the British Governor of the Islands, Rex Hunt, on April 2 that year (Operation Rosario).
The British reaction, Operation Corporate, prompted the build-up of an Argentine garrison in Puerto Argentino, as the Argentines renamed the Islands capital (Port Stanley).
The Argentine submarines, also based at the Naval Base, saw some action too; one of them, the old 'Guppy' (Greater Underwater Propulsion Power Program) class ARA Santa Fe was lost in the South Georgia Islands. Another one, the Type 209 ARA San Luis harassed the British Task Force for several days.
The Antiarcraft Artillery Group 601 (GADA 601), its permanent headquarters located north of Mar del Plata, was responsible for the troops anti-aircraft defense. They accounted for four British aircrafts (two Sea Harriers and two RAF Harrier IIs), forcing the rest of them to fly well above 10,000 feet (3,000 m), to avoid the 35-mm Oerlikon Contraves guns and Roland missiles threat. A small detachment (34 men) from this group, armed with two twin Oerlikon 35-mm cannons, also played a key role in the Battle of Goose Green, May 28, bringing havoc to the leading companies of the Parachute Regiment before being forced to surrender the next day[9].
Thirteen personnel from Mar del Plata lost their lives in the conflict, among them the first Argentine casualty of the war, Captain Pedro Giachino, one of the commanders of the elite troops that seized Port Stanley. A Memorial was erected to commemorate them in 1986.
Democratic Process
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 National State. The first years of his mandate brought some prosperity to the Argentinian 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 emmigration and some pockets of extreme poverty. 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 the Radical Party in the central power in 1999.
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 at 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 conssumers 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 conflict between Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez and the U.S. President George W. Bush centering around the proposed Free Trade Area of the Americas.
Culture
Mar del Plata is the most popular destination for conventions in Argentina after Buenos Aires. Mar del Plata has a wide range of services in this sector. The summer season hosts over fifty theatrical plays. There are also many shows and festivals. The Fiesta Nacional del Mar ("National Sea Festival") with the election and coronation of the Sea Queen and her princesses; the Premios Estrella de Mar ("Sea Star Awards") which honor the best shows during summer season; the Valencian Falles week; the Mar del Plata Fashion Show, the numerous fashion shows that gathers the best haute couture designers, and two great international film festivals, the Mar del Plata International Film Festival, and the Mar del Plata Independent Film Festival.
Mar del Plata has also hosted the 1995 Pan American Games.
Architecture
The development of the city as a season resort in early XX century led the upper class tourists from Buenos Aires to built-up an European-inspired architecture, based mainly on the picturesque and later art deco styles. This gave Mar del Plata the pompous nickname of the Argentine Biarritz. During the 30's and well beyond the 40's, local architects and builders, like Auro Tiribelli, Arturo Lemmi, Alberto Córsico-Picollini and José Camusso recreated and transform the picturesque values into a middle-class scale, marking the beginning of the so called Mar del Plata Style, consisting in small samples of the luxury-laden summer residences of the high society, with some Californian features.
These chalets comprised basically a stone façade, a gable roof covert with spanish or french tiles, prominent eaves and a front porche. This gives the town some distinctive urban character among the other Argentinian cities, even if the needs of the growing mass of tourists in the '60 imposed large apartment buildings and skyscrapers as the predominant landscape downtown.
Climate
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The weather pattern for the region is that of an oceanic climate, with humid and moderate summers and relative cool winters, althought polar air masses from Antarctica are frequent. The Isotherms for January reach 19ºC (66 Fahrenheit) and 8ºC for July (46 Fahrenheit). The West-Southwest winds bring down the temperature below 0ºC (32 Fahrenheit), while the Southeast ones (the so called Sudestada) are stronger, producing coastal showers and rough seas, but the cold is much less intense.
There are about 20 days of frost each year, and almost 60 in the west hills area (some 300 mts above the sea level). Snowfall is not uncommon, but snow accumulation on the ground is rare, a phenomenon that takes place every 15 years or so.
Particularly remembered are the 1975 and 1991 snowstorms, but there were also some snow accumulated in 1994 and 1997 in the highest hills area of Sierra de los Padres[10], in 1995 along the southern coast, and the latest during the first hours of July 10, 2004.
There is fog in the last days of fall, and springtime is often marred by sea winds and sudden temperature's changes.
There are some ten days of 30º C (86 Fahrenheit) each summer, certainly milder values than the rest of the pampas region. Usually, the summer nights are cool and pleasants, between 16º to 20ºC (60 to 70 Fahrenheit).
Government
Mar del Plata is the capital of the department (Partido) of General Pueyrredón. The Mayor of the city and department is Daniel Katz of the Radical Civic Union. The Honorable Concejo Deliberante (the town council) has some legislative powers. The term of office for both the Mayor and council members is four years.
In 1919, Mar del Plata became the first town in the Americas to have a Socialist Mayor, a son of Italian Inmigrants, Teodoro Bronzini. The Socialist Party would dominate the city political landscape for most of the 20th century.
There is an extensive but interesting work by the American sociologist Susan Stokes about the democratic process in Mar del Plata since 1983 (the end of military rule) in comparison to other regions of Argentina:PDF-1.
You can also read the following paper: PDF-2.
External links
- Template:Es icon Official government website
- Template:Es icon Galllery of Photos
- Template:Es icon Mar del Plata Portal
- Template:En iconTemplate:Es icon Mar del Plata Independent Film Festival
- Template:En iconTemplate:Es icon Buy gifts from Mar del Plata
Sources
Unless otherwise indicated, all the sources are in Spanish.
- Cacopardo, Fernando A. y otros: Mar del Plata, Ciudad e Historia. Alianza Editorial S.A./UNMDP, Madrid/Buenos Aires, 1997.
- Rocatagliata, Juan A. y otros: Mar del Plata y su Región. Sociedad Argentina de Estudio Geográficos, Bueno Aires 1984.
- Anniversary Editions of La Capital newspaper: 1955, 1980, 1985, 2005.
- Barili, Roberto T.: Mar del Plata, Reseña Histórica. Editado por la Municipalidad de Gral. Pueyrredón, Mar del Plata, 1964.
- Zago, Manrique: Mar del Plata, Argentina. Manrique Zago Editores, 1997.(Bilingual Edition).