Barrio Ejército de los Andes, better known as ''Fuerte Apache'', is a neighbourhood of
Ciudadela near the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is known for its high crime rates and prevalent drug use.
Development
The neighborhood arose during the dictatorship of
Juan Carlos Onganía
Juan Carlos Onganía Carballo (; 17 March 1914 – 8 June 1995) was President of Argentina from 29 June 1966 to 8 June 1970. He rose to power as dictator after toppling the president Arturo Illia in a coup d'état self-named " Argentine Revol ...
in 1966, as part of a plan for the eradication of
illegal settlements. This took place in stages, one of which coincided with the construction of the football stadiums for the
1978 World Cup. The military wanted it to be a well-guarded settlement, primarily for the poor. They deposited many people there who had been removed from the Villa 31 slum in
Retiro.
[''Clarín'' (10/31/2000)]
According to the 2001 census, Fuerte Apache houses 17,777 people in 4,657 residences, although up to four times that number may reside in the complex, as many families lease spare rooms for extra income.
During a brief period between dictatorships, the neighbourhood was christened "
Liberation Father Mugica" in 1974, in honor of the anti-poverty activist, who had been murdered days before by paramilitary squads. The military renamed it "Ejército de los Andes" ('
Army of the Andes
The Army of the Andes () was a military force created by the United Provinces of South America, United Provinces of the Río de la Plata (Argentina) and assembled by General José de San Martín as part of his campaign to liberate Chile from the S ...
') in 1976,
[ and the nickname Fuerte Apache was given by the journalist José de Zer alluding to the movie Fort Apache, The Bronx while reporting about a gunfight in the complex.][ Una guerra de piedras en el Fuerte](_blank)
Página/12. 3 November 2000.
Notable residents
* Thiago Almada – professional footballer
* Carlos Tevez
Carlos Alberto Tevez (; né Martínez; born 5 February 1984) is an Argentine professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Football player, player. A dynamic forward (association football), forward in his prime, Tevez ...
– professional footballer
References
External links
*
Populated places in Buenos Aires Province
Tres de Febrero Partido
{{BuenosAiresAR-geo-stub