Thesis: The built environment of Buenos Aires is reflective of the political state of the nation of Argentina at any given point in the city’s history.
Life Before Spanish Colonization (9th Century - 16th Century)
Figure 1: Indigenous Tribes in Modern Day Argentina
Buenos Aires is a city in Argentina that is representative of the nation’s political, economic, and social trends as it changed throughout history. Argentina follows a similar story with other prosperous Latin American nations, where the indigenous peoples were unjustly displaced and killed by colonizers, experienced their own establishment struggles and revolutions, but the present state of every nation varies. This section is meant to shine attention on the different communities that exist in Argentina, in the area of modern day Buenos Aires as well as the nearby areas.
Prior to the foundation of Buenos Aires by Pedro de Mendoza and Juan de Garay in the 16th century [1], there were nearly twenty native communities that inhabited the space [2]. The earliest beginnings of a civilization dates back to the 7th and 9th century [3].Among these communities were five different regions of communities which included the Chaco lowlands, the Pampas, the Kollas of the Andean slopes, the Diaguita-Calchaqui, and the Huarpes of San Juan and Mendoza [4]. Political figures aimed to display Argentina as a white, culturally homogeneous country starting at the later foundation of the country[5]. Through the limited resources on the history of these communities, there is information on the mistreatment of these communities, especially in the time of Spanish Colonization. It is important to consider the indigenous communities everywhere that inhabited lands before colonization as well as the treatment of the indigenous people that remain in the area and the treatment that they receive in their lives.
Figure 2: Display of Open Space and Patios
Figure 3: Adobe and Woodhouse in Ancient Cuyo
Figure 4: Adobe Structures in Ancient Argentina
Figure 5: Spanish Settlements and Indian Societies in 16th Century Argentina
The pre-hispanic civilizations in Argentina displayed the use of wooden structures and adobe (a type of mud brick) shown in Figures 2, 3 and 4 above. It also emphasized the use of open spaces, patios and orchards that encouraged the communal lifestyle with the people in the area. This style of architecture was preserved through Spanish colonization however began to be lost due to modernization in the 19th century [6]. These civilizations incorporated intricate planning and architectural methods from their early beginnings. While little is known about the specific lifestyle that these communities had, there is information on the negative influence that Spanish colonization had for the people who already inhabited the land. As Spanish settlements began to arise, especially in the northern regions of Argentina, Native settlements were displaced [7]. This confiscation of land and the resettlement of the groups caused malnutrition among the native population. This can imply that the tribes had their methods of gathering food based on the environment that they lived in. The decline in native populations was also influenced by the forced labor they were subject to between 1580 and 1610 [7]. Populations of indigenous communities continued to decrease throughout the years. Figure 6 shows the decline during the years 1516-1680, the time that Spanish Colonization began to occur. The population of Indigenous folks continued to decline as the colonization and development increased. The indigenous communities were forced to move out of their land and through their strive to adapt, they lost a lot of their people [2].
Figure 6: Decline in Indian Population during the 16th Century
Throughout that time there were different efforts to introduce new avenues for infrastructure in order to connect the different Spanish settlements that were being created. This lead migrating indigenous communities to be subject to more forced labor and to be used as slaves for economic purposes [8]. One Specific infrastructure that began in the early 17th century were the haciendas or estancias that are displayed in Figure 7 and 8. These developments were meant to produce cattle and other goods to export to nearby settlements or overseas [8]. In the next tab of this website, there Spanish colonizers were known to look for free labor within the indigenous communities.
Indigenous communities, when displaced out of their land, were forced to work in these estancias and cultivate the goods or raise the cattle that were on the land [8]. These economic developments began to shape modern day Argentina and more specifically Buenos Aires as the areas of developmental growth. However, the often disregarded truth is the displacement of indigenous communities and the amount of forced labor they were exposed to.
Figure 7: Estancia Anita
Figure 8: Cultivating Cattle in Argentina's Estancias
Similar to the history of other countries in North and South America, the story of the native folks is often untold or altered to fit a popular narrative. This limited data and documented history still strongly demonstrates the way in which Spanish settlements changed the geographic, cultural, and economic values of Argentina. This section is meant to provide a historical context that is often disregarded in order to be aware of the indigenous communities as one moves through the history of Buenos Aires. It is important to be aware of the previous points as the exploration through the website continues.