The Argentina Centennial was celebrated on May 25, 1910. It was the 100th
anniversary of the
May Revolution
The May Revolution ( es, Revolución de Mayo) was a week-long series of events that took place from May 18 to 25, 1810, in Buenos Aires, capital of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata. This Spanish colony included roughly the terri ...
, when
viceroy
A viceroy () is an official who reigns over a polity in the name of and as the representative of the monarch of the territory. The term derives from the Latin prefix ''vice-'', meaning "in the place of" and the French word ''roy'', meaning " ...
Baltasar Hidalgo de Cisneros
Baltasar Hidalgo de Cisneros y de la Torre (6 January 1756 – 9 June 1829) was a Spanish naval officer born in Cartagena. He took part in the Battle of Cape St Vincent and the Battle of Trafalgar, and in the Spanish resistance against Napole ...
was ousted from office and replaced with the
Primera Junta, the first national government.
Context
The year of 1910 was considered quite positive for Argentina, when the last century was seen in retrospective. Argentina had a well-established state, with no inner conflicts and national limits delimited. Besides, the main institutions –
Army
An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...
, public schools,
post service, among others– were efficient. Through them the Government could advance to a vigorous nation, driven by the
immigration
Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not natives or where they do not possess citizenship in order to settle as permanent residents or naturalized citizens. Commuters, tourists, ...
, the growth of the agriculture and cattle and the external trade. People trusted the state even to mediate conflicts.
["El espejo lejano del primer Centenario"]
, on ''Revista Ñ'', ''Clarín'', 25 Apr 2010
Argentina was known as "el granero del mundo" ("world's barn") due to its prosperous agriculture. The colloquial expression "¡Il est riche comme un Argentin!" ("Rich like an Argentine") referred to the extraordinary wealth of the Argentine landowning aristocracy in those years. In 1910 the gross product of Argentina was half the Latin America's one.
Argentina's population grew quickly because of the immigration from Europe. Of 6 million inhabitants, 1 million were Italian and 800,000 were Spanish. A growing interest in improving democracy led to the sanction of the
Sáenz Peña Law, two years later. The first
Argentine copyright law was also enacted by this time, superseding a
patent law that was being used so far for such topics.
The centennial had also an important impact on the
historiography of Argentina. Because of the growing numbers of immigrants coming from very different places, it was felt that it was need to clearly define an "Argentine identity". Topics that had once canonic views, such as the
wars of independence, started to be seen from multiple perspectives.
Celebrations
On February 8, 1909, the
National Congress ''National Congress'' is a term used in the names of various political parties and legislatures .
Political parties
*Ethiopia: Oromo National Congress
*Guyana: People's National Congress (Guyana)
*India: Indian National Congress
*Iraq: Iraqi Nati ...
promulgated Law 6,286 that regulated the commemoration of the May Revolution. President of Argentina
José Figueroa Alcorta decreed the state of siege under the celebrations were held.
[Comienza el Año del Bicentenario](_blank)
Argentina.ar (Archive, 5 Mar 2010) This was because some activists (led by anarchist movements) tried to boicot the celebrations.
The celebrations began on May 21, 1910. The most notable visitor was
Infanta Isabella, who spent her days in the country host at the Family Bary's Palace sited in
Avenida Alvear
Avenida Alvear is an upscale thoroughfare in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Located in the neighbourhood of Recoleta, it extends for seven blocks, from the Plazoleta Carlos Pellegrini to Alvear Plaza. The avenue is famous not only for the most excl ...
. On the
Avenida de Mayo
May Avenue ( es, Avenida de Mayo) is an avenue in Buenos Aires, capital of Argentina. It connects the Plaza de Mayo with Congressional Plaza, and extends in a west–east direction before merging into Rivadavia Avenue.
History and overview
B ...
, the "Edificio La Inmobiliaria" was inaugurated on May 25. It was designed by Italian architect Luis Broggi.
Other guests were president of Chile,
Pedro Montt and vice-president of Peru,
Eugenio Larraburu y Unanue. Professor
Ferdinando Martini
Ferdinando Martini (30 July 1840 – 24 April 1928) was an Italian writer and politician. He was governor of Eritrea for from late 1897 to early 1907.
Biography
Born in Florence, he worked as journalist and writer. He collaborated with '' Il F ...
represented Italy while General
Colmar von der Goltz came from Germany.
Leonard Wood, governor of Cuba after the
Spanish–American War
, partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence
, image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg
, image_size = 300px
, caption = (clock ...
represented the United States, arriving with four
cruisers. A member of the
Japanese imperial family tree, Eki Mocki, was also part of the celebrations.
Other countries represented at the Centannial were
Uruguay
Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...
,
Paraguay
Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to t ...
,
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
,
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...
and
The Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
, while
Great Britain
Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It ...
did not send any representative due to the death of King
Edward VII
Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until Death and state funeral of Edward VII, his death in 1910.
The second chil ...
.
In the
Teatro Colón (inaugurated two years before the Centennial) the opera ''
Rigoletto'' was sung by Italian baritone
Titta Ruffo, on May 24. Personalities from the cultural world also visited Argentina for the Centennial, with Spanish
Ramón del Valle Inclán,
Jacinto Benavente,
Vicente Blasco Ibáñez; French
Georges Clemenceau,
Jean Jaurès,
Anatole France and Jules Huret; Nicaraguan
Rubén Darío
Félix Rubén García Sarmiento (January 18, 1867 – February 6, 1916), known as Rubén Darío ( , ), was a Nicaraguan poet who initiated the Spanish-language literary movement known as ''modernismo'' (modernism) that flourished at the end of ...
among them
Other personalities that attended the Centennial celebrations were sociologist
Enrico Ferri, writer
Pietro Gori and Gina Lombroso, daughter of criminologist and physician
Cesare Lombroso. The world of arts was represented by dancer
Isadora Duncan and French actress
Marguerite Moreno.
In sports, the raising popularity of
football in Argentina paved the way to organise the first South American competition, the
Copa Centenario Revolución de Mayo, with Argentina, Uruguay and Chile taking part of the tournament. This championship is considered predecessor of
Copa América, first held in 1916.
Moreover, the
British and Irish Lions toured on Argentina as part of the Centennial celebrations. Managed by RV Stanley, the British combined arrived to Arrived to Argentina to play
a total of six games in the country, from May 26 to June 17. The hosts referred to the team as the "Combined British".
["De festejo también, pero por el Centenario" by Jorge Búsico]
''La Nación'', 27 May 2010
The
Argentina national team made its international debut against the Lions under the name "The River Plate Rugby Football Union" on 12 June. The match was played at Sociedad Sportiva Argentina of
Palermo
Palermo ( , ; scn, Palermu , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital of both the autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan province. The city is noted for its ...
.
Memorials
Apart from the construction of elegant pavilions and the inauguration of big buildings that renewed the city of Buenos Aires, several monuments were given by the different collectivity of immigrants living in Argentina.
Some of the memorials were:
*
Monument to the Carta Magna and Four Regions of Argentina (commonly referred as "Monument of the Spanish") donated by the Spanish community. It was designed by
Agustí Querol Subirats and placed in the intersection of
Del Libertador and Sarmiento Avenues of
Palermo
Palermo ( , ; scn, Palermu , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital of both the autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan province. The city is noted for its ...
.
* Monument to Christopher Columbus, by the Italian community. Originally placed in front of
Casa Rosada, in 2015 the monument was dismantled and moved near
Aeroparque Jorge Newbery to be replaced by a statue of
Juana Azurduy.
En 3 meses, monumento a Colón estará reconstruido en Costanera
by Andrea Glikman, ''Ambito Financiero'', 10 Apr 2017
* Torre Monumental
Torre Monumental ( Spanish for "Monumental Tower"), formerly known as Torre de los Ingleses ("Tower of the English"), is a clock tower located in the ''barrio'' (district) of Retiro in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is situated in the Plaza Fuerza ...
by the British community. Located in Retiro, Buenos Aires, in front to the Retiro railway station
* France to Argentina, by Émile Peynot
Émile Edmond Jean Peynot (November 22, 1850 – December 12, 1932) was a prominent French artist sculptor and medallist.
Bio
Peynot was born in Villeneuve-sur-Yonne, Burgundy. He became well known following his Grand Prize at the Prix de Rom ...
, gift from French community. Located in France Park, Buenos Aires.
* Weather Tower, by the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Set in the Botanical Garden Carlos Thays.
* Monument to George Washington, by the United States, placed in Parque Tres de Febrero
;Notes
See also
* May Revolution
The May Revolution ( es, Revolución de Mayo) was a week-long series of events that took place from May 18 to 25, 1810, in Buenos Aires, capital of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata. This Spanish colony included roughly the terri ...
* Argentina Bicentennial
* Exposición Internacional del Centenario
* Copa Centenario Revolución de Mayo
References
{{May Revolution
Public holidays in Argentina
1910 in Argentina
History of Argentina (1880–1916)
Cultural festivals in Argentina
May Revolution
1910 festivals
Festivals established in 1910
May 1910 events
Regional centennial anniversaries