Barrio Ejército de los Andes, better known as ''Fuerte Apache'', is a neighbourhood of
Ciudadela near the city of
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...
, 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 ''Revolución Argen ...
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 soccer stadiums for the
1978 World Cup
The 1978 FIFA World Cup was the 11th edition of the FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial international football world championship tournament among the men's senior national teams. It was held in Argentina between 1 and 25 June.
The Cup was won by t ...
. 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 ( es, Ejército de los Andes) was a military force created by the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata (Argentina) and mustered by general José de San Martín in his campaign to free Chile from the Spanish Empire. In 181 ...
') in 1976,
[ and the nickname Fuerte Apache was given by the journalist José de Zer alluding to the movie ]Fort Apache, The Bronx
''Fort Apache, The Bronx'' is a 1981 American crime drama film directed by Daniel Petrie. The film is about a hard-drinking, lonely veteran cop, Murphy ( Paul Newman), and his young partner Corelli ( Ken Wahl), who work in a crime-ridden precin ...
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
Thiago Ezequiel Almada (born 26 April 2001) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or winger for Major League Soccer club Atlanta United and the Argentina national team. He was a member of the Argentina t ...
– professional footballer
* Carlos Tevez
Carlos Alberto Tevez (; born 5 February 1984) is an Argentine professional football manager and former player. A quick, tenacious, powerful, hard-working and dynamic forward in his prime, Tevez was capable of playing as a striker, as a wing ...
– professional footballer
References
External links
*
Populated places in Buenos Aires Province
Tres de Febrero Partido
{{BuenosAiresAR-geo-stub