Gaiman is a town in the
Chubut Province
Chubut ( es, Provincia del Chubut, ; cy, Talaith Chubut) is a province in southern Argentina, situated between the 42nd parallel south (the border with Río Negro Province), the 46th parallel south (bordering Santa Cruz Province), the Andes rang ...
of
Patagonia
Patagonia () refers to a geographical region that encompasses the southern end of South America, governed by Argentina and Chile. The region comprises the southern section of the Andes Mountains with lakes, fjords, temperate rainforests, and g ...
in
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
. It has a population of 4,730 as per the . It is located in the
River Chubut's lower valley (called in
Welsh
Welsh may refer to:
Related to Wales
* Welsh, referring or related to Wales
* Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales
* Welsh people
People
* Welsh (surname)
* Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...
), about west of
Trelew
Trelew (, from cy, tref "town" and the name of the founder, Lewis Jones) is a city in the eastern part of the Chubut Province of Argentina. Located in Patagonia, the city is the largest and most populous in the low valley of the Chubut River, wi ...
.
Gaiman is a cultural and demographic centre of the main region of the
Welsh settlement in Argentina
Y Wladfa (, "The Colony"), also occasionally Y Wladychfa Gymreig (, "The Welsh Settlement"), refers to the establishment of settlements by Welsh immigrants in Patagonia, beginning in 1865, mainly along the coast of the lower Chubut Valley. I ...
, known in Welsh as .
The town was founded in 1874 by David D. Roberts and acquired municipal rights in 1885. The
Central Chubut Railway arrived in 1908 connecting Gaiman to
Trelew
Trelew (, from cy, tref "town" and the name of the founder, Lewis Jones) is a city in the eastern part of the Chubut Province of Argentina. Located in Patagonia, the city is the largest and most populous in the low valley of the Chubut River, wi ...
. The Gaiman Train Tunnel was built in 1914 when the railway extended to
Las Plumas
Las Plumas (Welsh: ''Dôl y Plu'') is a village in Chubut Province, Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers a ...
( cy, Dôl y Plu, links=no).
Many people in the region have maintained the use of Welsh alongside Spanish. The annual youth
Eisteddfod
In Welsh culture, an ''eisteddfod'' is an institution and festival with several ranked competitions, including in poetry and music.
The term ''eisteddfod'', which is formed from the Welsh morphemes: , meaning 'sit', and , meaning 'be', means, ac ...
, a Welsh cultural festival, is held every September. The (Regional Historical Museum) in the former station house commemorates the history of the Welsh community in the region. There are a number of Welsh
Protestant
Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...
chapels, of which the largest is .
The town's name originates in an indigenous
Tehuelche place-name meaning "rocky point." Just to the south of Gaiman is the
Bryn Gwyn Paleontological Park.
Gallery
File:Bgaiman9.JPG, First House (''Y ty Cyntaf'')
File:GaimanWelshSchool.JPG, Welsh school
File:GaimanTunel.JPG, Old train tunnel entrance
File:GaimanRC.JPG, Roman church
External links
Project-Hiraeth – Documents the stories of the Welsh colony in Patagonia, Argentina through film, text and illustration.*
Municipality of Gaiman Official website
Populated places in Chubut Province
Populated places established in 1874
Welsh settlement in Patagonia
1874 establishments in Argentina
{{Chubut-geo-stub