Escuela de Lenguas UNLP/About Argentina/Important Argentinean Characters/History

Presidents

Raúl Ricardo Alfonsín

Raúl Ricardo Alfonsín was born on 12th March, 1927 in Chascomús. He was a lawyer, a statesman and a promoter of human rights in Argentina. He was the president of the nation from 1983 to 1989. He died on 31st March, 2009. He was considered the father of modern democracy.

Arturo Frondizi

Arturo Frondizi was the President of Argentina in 1958. He tried to develop the country economically. He was born at the beginning of the 1900s in Capital Federal. He was married. He was a lawyer and he was a good politician. His political affiliation was to the UCRI.

María Estela Martínez de Perón

María Estela Martínez de Perón (Isabelita) was born on 4th February, 1931 in La Rioja. Isabelita and Perón were married in Spain in 1961. She was a dancer in the cabaret “Pasapoga”, in Caracas, Venezuela, where she met her future husband. She was Vice-President of the nation and was president after Perón’s death. She was president from 1st july, 1974 to 24th March, 1976, when she was ousted by a military coup. She issued the decree of “Aniquilamiento de la subversion”, starting state terrorism with 600 missing people. She was imprisoned for five years. She lived in Madrid and did not return any more.

Bernardino Rivadavia

Bernardino Rivadavia was a politician and a diplomat. He was born on 20th May, 1780 in Buenos Aires. He was the first president of “Provincias Unidas del Río de La Plata” under the constitution of 1826. He was elected on 8th February, 1826 and worked until 27th June, 1827, when he resigned. After his resignation, he retired to Spain. His death was n 25th June 1845 in Cádiz. Although he requested in his will that his remains were not buried in Buenos Aires or in Montevideo, they were returned to Argentina in 1857. In this year it was decided to give his name to the longest avenue in Buenos Aires.

Julio Argentino Roca

Julio Argentino Roca was born in San Miguel de Tucumán on 17th July, 1843. He died in Buenos Aires on 19TH October, 1914. He was president twice and he was in the conquista del desierto. He was president when he was 37 years old. His nickname was “the fox”.

Domingo Faustino Sarmiento

Domingo Faustino Sarmiento was born on 15 of February of 1811, in the province of San Juan, in a humble home, son of Doña Paula Albarracin and of Don Jose Clemente Sarmiento. The desire to learn and teach appeared from a young age, he learned to read at age 4 and at fifteen he founded the first school in San Francisco del Monte, San Luis province. He was master, second lieutenant of militia, writer, journalist, senator, minister, general director of school, sociologist, diplomat, governor and President of Argentina. He was an active militant politician, mainly due to his opposition to Rosas and to the caudillo Rioja Facundo Quiroga, In Chile; his activity was very remarkable, both in teaching and in journalism. He visited also the United States and Europe, where he published literary works and known to teachers and writers. In San Juan he founded the newspaper "El Zonda. Of his literary work, Facundo, Memory of Province, Life of Dominguito and Gradual reading method are remarkable. As governor of his province, he declared the law of teaching primary and when he was fifty seven years old, he occupied the Presidency of the Republic (between the years 1868 and 1874). As president, Sarmiento encouraged the education and the culture of its people. He founded the National University of San Juan, National Library of teachers and Astronomical Observatory of Cordoba. For health reasons, Sarmiento travelled to Paraguay, where he wrote his last journalistic work and where he finally died, as poor as he was born, on the 11 of September, 1888.

Justo José de Urquiza

Justo José de Urquiza was a president of Argentina. He was born on 18th October, 1801 in Entre Ríos. His father was Spanish. Urquiza was first governor of Entre Ríos. He defended federalism. He defeated Juan Manuel de Rosas in the battle of Cseros in 1862. Urquiza promulgated the constitution of 1853 and he was president of Argentina in 1864 until 1860. Then he was governor of Entre Ríos again until 1870. He was murdered inhis palace together with his children on 11th April 1870 by a group of federalists.

Miscellaneous

Felicitas Guerrero

A life surrounded by glamour and misfortune: Felicitas Guerrero, an Argentinian woman of the 19 th century whose story still tickles our imagination.

A few weeks ago, we visited a castle in Domselaar, a small town near the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires; in San Vicente, Buenos Aires Province. (36 km from La Plata). We decided to visit the place following in the steps of Felicitas Guerrero, considered to be one of the most beautiful (and unfortunate) women of her time. The impressive building is an old French- style house which belongs to the Guerrero family.

As soon as we arrived at the property, we caught sight of an imposing architectonic construction surrounded by green gardens that guarded the secret stories that its owners, Josefina and her descendants gradually unveiled to the public. From the beginning of its construction in 1872, the Castle of Domselaar was to unite its beauty to the other buildings existing in the Alzaga family like the states of “La Raquel”, “Bella Vista”, “La Postrera”, “La Pelada”, all of them located near "La Salada", one of the important lagoon system in the countryside of the Buenos Aires Province.The place treasures works of art like sculptures, drawings and paintings; documents of the time and a splendid library; objects and even furniture of the time including a beautiful piano that still delights the public with an impeccable sound... On a grand staircase that leads into the spectacular house, Josefina and Guillermo, one of her sons, unfolded the tales of their ancestors, particularly that of Felicitas Guerrero de Alzaga's love misfortunes and tragic fate. According to the family, this version remained silenced for 50 years.

Josefina, the granddaughter of Antonio Guerrero - the youngest of the 11 brothers of Felicitas - and her son told the public several stories of the Argentine past interrelated to each other and contextualized in the years leading to "The Belle Époque” in Buenos Aires. In their tales, innumerable aristocratic names of the of the time stand out, for example: the Ocampos, the De Marias, the Saenz Valientes, the Urquizas... But which si the true story? Mr Carlos Jose Guerrero, Felicita's father, knew how to join his surname to one of the greatest landowners of his time: Mr Martín de Alzaga. According to the family, Martín de Alzaga, a rich businessman, -60 years old- married Felicitas -15-, in an arrangement by herí father and her future husband: the Guerreros would contribute their name and connections anda Martín de Alzaga, in turn would restore the money and poder the family once enjoyed.

De Alzaga and Felicitas had two children: the first died a tan early age of "Yellow fever" and the second one at birth. This second Seattle completely devastated de Alzaga, who died shortly after, thus leaving all the fortune in Felicitas (and her family's) hands. A year after, Felicitas decides that she is ready to resume her social life. After the death of her husband, Felicitas kept a short mourning, for that reason, old suitors from her younger years started to appear in her life very soon.

Mr. Ocampo, an old family friend, Felicitas' hand in marriage. In the conviction that his new marriage was arranged, Ocampo travels to Europe on business and brings a wedding dress from France for his fiancee. During the absence of Ocampo, Felicitas meets a young neighbor, Saenz Valiente, with whom she falls in love for his gallantry and to whom she promises her love.

When Ocampo learns of the situation, he was expressed with determination: "if Felicitas does not marry me, she will not marry anyone". During Felicitas' engagement party with Saenz Valiente, Ocampo confronts her with a stir causing her to die. Josefina and Guillermo tell us that the official story says: “Ocampo, after having killed Felicitas, shot himself committing suicide by unrequited love” ; but, they add, the true story of what happened, came to light 50 years later, reported by the family present at that time: Antonio Guerrero, the younger brother of Felicitas and his cousin, one of the young De Maria, 14, who was also in love with Felicitas. In the situation, this one snatches the weapon to him to Ocampo and shoots to him in defense of the attacked Felicitas. To avoid imprisonment of the young De Maria, the family invents the story of the suicide that was not such. Faced with tose fatal events, the family start to seek Saenz Valiente on the farm to break the news but he, fearful of the consequences, flees the house which earned him the pseudonym Cowardly Sáenz. among Felicitas' family and the social circles she frequented.

Joaquín V. González

He was born in La Rioja on March 6, 1863 and he died in Buenos Aires on December 21, 1923. He was a lawyer, politician, journalist, writer, academic and intellectual. In 1905 he founded the University of La Plata and he held the position of Dean until the year 1918. The University Primary School bears his name in his honor.

Today, his house, the museum Samay Huasi in Chilecito La Rioja, is visited by hundreds of students who pay their tribute. His statue is sited in front of the University building in 7th Avenue in the downtown of La Plata.

Manuel Belgrano

He was born in Buenos Aires on 3rd june, 1770. He studied in Spain, where he graduated with a degree in Law, Languages and Economics. When Charles IV named him Secretary of the Consulate of Buenos Aires, he accepted it. He was a great defender of his homeland. The constant travelling and many battles in America exhausted him. He returned to Buenos Aires in March 1820 and died on June 20th.

Alicia Moreau de Justo

She was born in October, 1885. She was a medical doctor, a teacher and a journalist. She died imperceptively and silently on Moday 12th May, 1986.

Welsh people in Argentina

We find in Gaiman the first European settlement in South America.On July 28th 1865, 153 Welsh people arrived in the Atlantic Coast where we find today “Puerto Madryn” in a ship called “Mimosa”. They decided to migrate because their government didn’t allow them to teach their language in the schools and to keep their traditions. Most of them worked in their country as miners and this was the first difficulty. The natives were friendly and kind with them and helped each other. The Tehuelche taught them hunting and cultivating and sent their children to Welsh schools. They suffered floods and droughts and so they designed a system with irrigation ditches that continues today. They were Protestants and Adventists and built traditional chapels, where schools work inside. These chapels were built 15 km away from each other. They founded first Rawson and then other cities but most of them stayed in Gaiman. Singing and poetry were very important to keep their traditions. The most important festivity is called “Eisteddfod”. It is singing and literature competition. It began in 1176 when Welsh poets met each year to sing and recite and the winner had a place in the prince’s table. Since 1965 until today it is held annually in Argentina. There is also another tradition: tea ceremony. Today there are several teahouses and one of them keeps the genealogy of the pioneers that arrived in the “Mimosa”. On July 28th they opened chapels and families offer the tea in large tables.