The idea behind the Argentina Tourist Guide is that it should be a practical manual that helps the traveller on his journeys through our country, and with this in mind, it is a professional guidebook that has been produced as carefully as possible.
Our research and production work has basically been focussed on providing objective help which will above all be of great use to you on your travels around Argentina.
If our aim of providing through Argentina Tourist Guide an overall view of the history, culture, character and attractions of this beautiful country meets your expectations, then we will feel proud of having achieved what we set out to do.
Have a good trip!
Argentina
The name of the diverse
A poet was responsible for the name “Argentina”. At least, he it was who left the first documented evidence of the name in a long and now-forgotten poem entitled “Argentina and the Conquest of the River Plate”. Martín del Barco Centenera was is name, and he had arrived in the country in 1574. On is return to Spain, he felt the need to write down what he had seen. The adjectives he uses are “Argentino Reyno” and “Río Argentino”, referring to the country and the river as “silvery”, since like all his contemporaries he was convinced that he had been in the land of silver. Looking back on the history of Argentina, it does not seem mere chance that the country should owe its name to a literary work. Fiction and reality were intertwined in Martín del Barco Centenera’s poem, just as they would be intertwined throughout the country’s history. And it is from this mixture that there has arisen a literature which has been abundant in names that have become famous throughout the Spanish-speaking world. Since the dawn of independence there have been poets to accompany the exploits. And from that moment onwards, it can be said that each stage in the life of the country has had its literary representation. It is not surprising, therefore, that the names of its politicians and statesmen swelled the ranks of great writers during the 19th century.
Sarmiento, that majestic political figure, was also the most important essayist of is time, and this Facundo is still today a work without equal in contemporary Argentinian literature.
Jorge Luis Borges, Julio Cortazar, Leopoldo Marechal, Adolfo Bioy Casares, Ernesto Sábato, Ezequiel Martínez Estrada, Roberto Arlt, Macedonio Fernández, Juan Gelman and Juan José Saer are but a few of the writers and poets that the country has produced this century. All of them with concems that transcend the strictly literary, cash one in his own way trying to contribute something towards explaining that national obsession, understanding what we Argentinians are really like. A country built up as a result of successive waves of immigrants from almost all the comers of the world, and which covers such a vast expanse of land, cannot but be complex and difficult to describe.
The first thing that must be said is that today there is no such thing as a typical Argentinian. Put someone from Jujuy with a person from Buenos Aires, for example, and you would get the feeling that they did not come from the same country. And there is a lot of truth in this, because the development of different influences regions was the result of very different influences and experiences. However, there are certain feeling of belonging, certain passions and tastes, that to a greater or lesser degree extend throughout the country.
Like football, for example, from La Quiaca to Tierra del Fuego the whole country can be paralysed if the national team is playing one of those matches that are a matter of life or death. There is nothing more democratic than the passion for football, and the local field –that piece of wasteland converted into the neighbourhood football stadium- has been the school that as produced the greatest players of all time.
And precisely because football is football, so Sunday is the day for it. You don’t even need to go to the ground, because Sunday afternoons have a special atmosphere about them, totally dominated by comments about the matches, and however indifferent you might be, at some time or other somebody will go into very great detail with you about the result, even if you have not asked him to.
Bochini, Gatti, Maradona, and Kempes are not only the names of some of the most admired footballers, but have become almost like family names to Argentinians, as if those players were our own brother or closest friend. And that is why everybody feels obliged to comment on their lives. True fencers with words, we Argentinians engage passionately in a sort of national sport, which is indulging in controversy. We feel we have a right to express an opinion about everything that exist and even about things that do not exist, an if we do not have much information about the subject then that does not matter much either because we will soon find an argument, we will make a good deduction. The important thin is to argue, but most important of all is to win the argument, to knock out the opponent of the moment. On hay street comer in any city groups of people might gather to argue fiercely. The subjects could be extremely trivial or highly important. And it is better if the argument takes place in the street, because then there is a guarantee that it will end at some point.
In a bar, with a cup of coffee or “a glass of something” to help things along, the discussion can be never-ending in the full sense of the word: it may continue over various sessions, and of course everyone will join in, from the waiters to the head barman. This is like a second home: here romantic relationships are formed and broken, business deals are clinched, family events are celebrated, the names to be given to children are agreed upon, details of the private life of the public celebrity of the moment are argued about, people reflect on life and death –or simply read the newspaper.
Although this feature is particularly notable in the major cities like Buenos Aires or Rosario, it is nevertheless a widespread custom throughout the country. No provincial city is without its string of bars along the main street or around the square, no village, no matter how tiny, cannot boast that it has its own bar, called simply a “boliche”.
A mixture of moralists and philosophers who are always inclined to give our own explanations of things, we will say “it’s the `Galicians´ fault”, or “the `Neapolitans. It is important to point out that in Argentina all Spaniards are `Galicians´ and all Italians `Neapolitans´, just as anyone with oriental features is “Ponja” (Jap) even if he was born in Vietnam; North Americans are all “Gringos”, a nickname which is shared with Europeans from the same latitudes, while “Turks” applies to absolutely anybody of Arabic origin. These generalizations are far from being pejorative; rather, they are a sign of affection. For some strange reason, to call a Basque or someone from Andalicía “Galician” is almost a declaration of friendship, it is to recognize him as one of our own.
Although we are very fond of coffee, The Brew –like that, in capitals- is “mate”. It is true that this is not exclusive to Argentina; Paraguayans and Uruguayans share our addiction to this beverage that we can drink anywhere and at any time of day. Obviously, the tree nations will always argue over the origins of mate, but for Argentinians it is as important to claim sovereignty over the Malvinas Islands from Britain.
Although these days the green wave is spreading all over the world and is even trying to gain a foothold in Argentina, nobody can resist a good piece of meat. We really love eating red meat, and are proud of the fact that we can prepare it in countless different ways. Although food in general is comparatively much more expensive than it was twenty years ago, meat is still one of the most easily obtainable foods, and one that goes a long way, too. Throughout the length and breadth of the country restaurants can be found that offer wonderful grilled meat –“parrillada” if all the entrails are included- and “bife de chorizo”, the other great national dish.
But Argentinian food does not come to an end with the meat of the cow. If anything has remained from that tremendous merging of different peoples, it is the love of variety in dishes of different origins, to which must be added an infinite number of local variations. And that is why we Argentinians proudly boast that we can make “the best pizza in the world”, and also paella, bagnacauda, and pasta; but is always “the best in the world” because modesty and discretion are not to be counted among our virtues, and obviously a does not matter if we have not tried the food in other places.
Boasting apart, it is true to say that to eat well and with a variety of dishes in any town in Argentina is not just a matter of chance. Restaurants abound with international menus and also a whole range of gastronomic specialities.
The “Empanada”, a sort of pie, is another national dish, and each province in the north has its own distinctive way of preparing these; and being Argentina, we make “the best Arabic empanadas in the world” in Tucumán, one of the northern provinces –it couldn’t be any other way, could it”.
Our research and production work has basically been focussed on providing objective help which will above all be of great use to you on your travels around Argentina.
If our aim of providing through Argentina Tourist Guide an overall view of the history, culture, character and attractions of this beautiful country meets your expectations, then we will feel proud of having achieved what we set out to do.
Have a good trip!
Argentina
The name of the diverse
A poet was responsible for the name “Argentina”. At least, he it was who left the first documented evidence of the name in a long and now-forgotten poem entitled “Argentina and the Conquest of the River Plate”. Martín del Barco Centenera was is name, and he had arrived in the country in 1574. On is return to Spain, he felt the need to write down what he had seen. The adjectives he uses are “Argentino Reyno” and “Río Argentino”, referring to the country and the river as “silvery”, since like all his contemporaries he was convinced that he had been in the land of silver. Looking back on the history of Argentina, it does not seem mere chance that the country should owe its name to a literary work. Fiction and reality were intertwined in Martín del Barco Centenera’s poem, just as they would be intertwined throughout the country’s history. And it is from this mixture that there has arisen a literature which has been abundant in names that have become famous throughout the Spanish-speaking world. Since the dawn of independence there have been poets to accompany the exploits. And from that moment onwards, it can be said that each stage in the life of the country has had its literary representation. It is not surprising, therefore, that the names of its politicians and statesmen swelled the ranks of great writers during the 19th century.
Sarmiento, that majestic political figure, was also the most important essayist of is time, and this Facundo is still today a work without equal in contemporary Argentinian literature.
Jorge Luis Borges, Julio Cortazar, Leopoldo Marechal, Adolfo Bioy Casares, Ernesto Sábato, Ezequiel Martínez Estrada, Roberto Arlt, Macedonio Fernández, Juan Gelman and Juan José Saer are but a few of the writers and poets that the country has produced this century. All of them with concems that transcend the strictly literary, cash one in his own way trying to contribute something towards explaining that national obsession, understanding what we Argentinians are really like. A country built up as a result of successive waves of immigrants from almost all the comers of the world, and which covers such a vast expanse of land, cannot but be complex and difficult to describe.
The first thing that must be said is that today there is no such thing as a typical Argentinian. Put someone from Jujuy with a person from Buenos Aires, for example, and you would get the feeling that they did not come from the same country. And there is a lot of truth in this, because the development of different influences regions was the result of very different influences and experiences. However, there are certain feeling of belonging, certain passions and tastes, that to a greater or lesser degree extend throughout the country.
Like football, for example, from La Quiaca to Tierra del Fuego the whole country can be paralysed if the national team is playing one of those matches that are a matter of life or death. There is nothing more democratic than the passion for football, and the local field –that piece of wasteland converted into the neighbourhood football stadium- has been the school that as produced the greatest players of all time.
And precisely because football is football, so Sunday is the day for it. You don’t even need to go to the ground, because Sunday afternoons have a special atmosphere about them, totally dominated by comments about the matches, and however indifferent you might be, at some time or other somebody will go into very great detail with you about the result, even if you have not asked him to.
Bochini, Gatti, Maradona, and Kempes are not only the names of some of the most admired footballers, but have become almost like family names to Argentinians, as if those players were our own brother or closest friend. And that is why everybody feels obliged to comment on their lives. True fencers with words, we Argentinians engage passionately in a sort of national sport, which is indulging in controversy. We feel we have a right to express an opinion about everything that exist and even about things that do not exist, an if we do not have much information about the subject then that does not matter much either because we will soon find an argument, we will make a good deduction. The important thin is to argue, but most important of all is to win the argument, to knock out the opponent of the moment. On hay street comer in any city groups of people might gather to argue fiercely. The subjects could be extremely trivial or highly important. And it is better if the argument takes place in the street, because then there is a guarantee that it will end at some point.
In a bar, with a cup of coffee or “a glass of something” to help things along, the discussion can be never-ending in the full sense of the word: it may continue over various sessions, and of course everyone will join in, from the waiters to the head barman. This is like a second home: here romantic relationships are formed and broken, business deals are clinched, family events are celebrated, the names to be given to children are agreed upon, details of the private life of the public celebrity of the moment are argued about, people reflect on life and death –or simply read the newspaper.
Although this feature is particularly notable in the major cities like Buenos Aires or Rosario, it is nevertheless a widespread custom throughout the country. No provincial city is without its string of bars along the main street or around the square, no village, no matter how tiny, cannot boast that it has its own bar, called simply a “boliche”.
A mixture of moralists and philosophers who are always inclined to give our own explanations of things, we will say “it’s the `Galicians´ fault”, or “the `Neapolitans. It is important to point out that in Argentina all Spaniards are `Galicians´ and all Italians `Neapolitans´, just as anyone with oriental features is “Ponja” (Jap) even if he was born in Vietnam; North Americans are all “Gringos”, a nickname which is shared with Europeans from the same latitudes, while “Turks” applies to absolutely anybody of Arabic origin. These generalizations are far from being pejorative; rather, they are a sign of affection. For some strange reason, to call a Basque or someone from Andalicía “Galician” is almost a declaration of friendship, it is to recognize him as one of our own.
Although we are very fond of coffee, The Brew –like that, in capitals- is “mate”. It is true that this is not exclusive to Argentina; Paraguayans and Uruguayans share our addiction to this beverage that we can drink anywhere and at any time of day. Obviously, the tree nations will always argue over the origins of mate, but for Argentinians it is as important to claim sovereignty over the Malvinas Islands from Britain.
Although these days the green wave is spreading all over the world and is even trying to gain a foothold in Argentina, nobody can resist a good piece of meat. We really love eating red meat, and are proud of the fact that we can prepare it in countless different ways. Although food in general is comparatively much more expensive than it was twenty years ago, meat is still one of the most easily obtainable foods, and one that goes a long way, too. Throughout the length and breadth of the country restaurants can be found that offer wonderful grilled meat –“parrillada” if all the entrails are included- and “bife de chorizo”, the other great national dish.
But Argentinian food does not come to an end with the meat of the cow. If anything has remained from that tremendous merging of different peoples, it is the love of variety in dishes of different origins, to which must be added an infinite number of local variations. And that is why we Argentinians proudly boast that we can make “the best pizza in the world”, and also paella, bagnacauda, and pasta; but is always “the best in the world” because modesty and discretion are not to be counted among our virtues, and obviously a does not matter if we have not tried the food in other places.
Boasting apart, it is true to say that to eat well and with a variety of dishes in any town in Argentina is not just a matter of chance. Restaurants abound with international menus and also a whole range of gastronomic specialities.
The “Empanada”, a sort of pie, is another national dish, and each province in the north has its own distinctive way of preparing these; and being Argentina, we make “the best Arabic empanadas in the world” in Tucumán, one of the northern provinces –it couldn’t be any other way, could it”.
Estadisticas blog
