Junín () is a city in the
province of Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires (), officially the Buenos Aires Province (''Provincia de Buenos Aires'' ), is the largest and most populous Argentine province. It takes its name from the city of Buenos Aires, the capital of the country, which used to be part of th ...
, Argentina, and administrative seat of the ''
partido'' of
Junín. It has a population of 85,420 () and is located west of 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 ...
. It is mostly known for being the hometown of former first lady of Argentina
Eva Perón
María Eva Duarte de Perón (; ; 7 May 1919 – 26 July 1952), better known as just Eva Perón or by the nickname Evita (), was an Argentine politician, activist, actress, and philanthropist who served as First Lady of Argentina from June 19 ...
.
History
Inhabited by the native
Charrúa
The Charrúa were an indigenous people or Indigenous Nation of the Southern Cone in present-day Uruguay and the adjacent areas in Argentina ( Entre Ríos) and Brazil ( Rio Grande do Sul). They were a semi-nomadic people who sustained themsel ...
people, the site's strategic location on the
Salado River made it of interest to
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Can ...
Viceroy
Juan José de Vértiz y Salcedo
Juan José de Vértiz y Salcedo (1719 in Mérida, Yucatán – 1799 in Madrid, Spain) was a Spanish colonial politician born in New Spain, and Viceroy of the Río de la Plata.
Biography
Son of a prominent peninsular politician, he studied i ...
, who established an outpost there in the 1790s as part of a line of defense against raids by displaced natives. The location became known as ''El Potroso''.
El Potroso was reinforced by a fort by way of an 1826 decree by President
Bernardino Rivadavia
Bernardino de la Trinidad González Rivadavia (May 20, 1780 – September 2, 1845) was the first President of Argentina, then called the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata, from February 8, 1826 to June 27, 1827.
He was educated at t ...
, and on December 27, 1827, the citadel was established under the command of a veteran of the
Argentine War of Independence, Bernardino Escribano, as ''Fuerte de la Federación''. The advent of
Buenos Aires Province Governor
Juan Manuel de Rosas led to Escribano's 1829 destitution as commander; though the intervention of an officer, Isidoro Suárez, averted a bloodbath. Suárez, a veteran of one of the last battles of the War for Independence (the
Battle of Junín
The Battle of Junín was a military engagement of the Peruvian War of Independence, fought in the highlands of the Junín Region on 6 August 1824. The preceding February the royalists had regained control of Lima, and having regrouped in Trujil ...
, in
Perú), inadvertently gave the failing settlement its new name by his actions: ''"Junín."''
Political conflict and ongoing Indian raids had all but destroyed Junín by the 1830s, however, and this prompted Governor Rosas to send the remaining settlers provisions and to subsidize crop farming in the surrounding, fertile
pampas
The Pampas (from the qu, pampa, meaning "plain") are fertile South American low grasslands that cover more than and include the Argentine provinces of Buenos Aires, La Pampa, Santa Fe, Entre Ríos, and Córdoba; all of Uruguay; and Brazi ...
fields. This was followed by a pact with
Ranquel
The Ranquel or Rankülche are an indigenous tribe from the northern part of La Pampa Province, Argentina, in South America.Tapia, Alicia Haydée"Archaeological Perspectives on the Ranquel Chiefdoms in the North of the Dry Pampas, in the Eighteent ...
Chief Santiago Yanquelén, whereby his people would defend Junín against raids by other tribes. Towards the end of his rule, Rosas appointed José Seguí, among the few
Afro Argentine
Afro-Argentines are people in Argentina of primarily Sub-Saharan African descent. The Afro-Argentine population is the result of people being brought over during the transatlantic slave trade during the centuries of Spanish domination in the regi ...
s to achieve a commissioned officer's rank, to administer Junín, in 1851. Seguí was an efficient, though repressive commander, and in 1863, he was assassinated at his nearby ranch.
Rosas' 1852 overthrow resulted in the appointment of a
justice of the peace, who initially shared governing duties with the military commander. Junín's first general store (Basterreix) opened in 1860, and in 1861, Junín elected its first city council (despite being officially only a fort). The province designated the area as a county in 1864, and with nearly 2,000 inhabitants, Junín ceases to be categorized as a "fort," and its first municipal
master plan was laid out in 1865.
![Palacio Municipal Junín 001](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Palacio_Municipal_Jun%C3%ADn_001.jpg)
The 1880 arrival of the
Central Argentine Railway
The Central Argentine Railway, referred to as CA below, (in Spanish: Ferrocarril Central Argentino) was one of the ''Big Four'' broad gauge, British companies that built and operated railway networks in Argentina. The company had been establis ...
and that of the
Buenos Aires and Pacific Railway
The Buenos Aires and Pacific Railway (BA&P) (in Spanish: Ferrocarril Buenos Aires al Pacífico) was one of the ''Big Four'' broad gauge, , British-owned companies that built and operated railway networks in Argentina.
The original concession wa ...
(B.A.& P.) in 1884 led to the town's rapid growth. The
National Bank of Argentina had opened a branch there in 1892 and by the 1895 census, Junín was home to over 12,000. The town largest employer by then was the B.A.& P.'s rail equipment factory, which employed over 1,600. The City Hall was completed in 1904 and Junín was declared a "city," in 1906.
Junín's steady development over the subsequent decades and setting amid lakes made it a well-known regional tourist destination. A hunting club was established in 1938, and a fishermen's pier and club on Lake El Carpincho, in 1942. The Aero Club Junín (1940) became well known following the IX International Gliding Competition, in 1963, and the nearby Borchex Municipal Park and Lake Gómez both have become popular weekend destinations since the 1960s; Lake Gómez attracted around 350,000 visitors during the 2006-07 summer season. Nearby ''Estancia La Oriental'' has attracted growing
rural tourism
Rural tourism is a tourism that focuses on actively participating in a rural lifestyle. It can be a variant of ecotourism. Many villages can facilitate tourism because many villagers are hospitable and eager to welcome or host visitors. Agriculture ...
to the area, as well.
The city is home to an important Municipal Historical Museum, probably best known for its
paleontology
Paleontology (), also spelled palaeontology or palæontology, is the scientific study of life that existed prior to, and sometimes including, the start of the Holocene epoch (roughly 11,700 years before present). It includes the study of fossi ...
hall and its
wooly mammoth
Wool is the textile fibre obtained from sheep and other mammals, especially goats, rabbits, and camelids. The term may also refer to inorganic materials, such as mineral wool and glass wool, that have properties similar to animal wool.
As ...
fossils, and the
Ángel María de Rosa Municipal Museum of Art
Angel is a given name meaning "angel", " messenger". In the English-speaking world Angel is used for both boys and girls.
From the medieval Latin masculine name ''Angelus'', which was derived from the name of the heavenly creature (itself derived ...
(1944). In a bid to further diversify the city's economy, an
industrial park
An industrial park (also known as industrial estate, trading estate) is an area zoned and planned for the purpose of industrial development. An industrial park can be thought of as a more "heavyweight" version of a business park or office park ...
was authorized north of the city in 1995, and a
racetrack
A race track (racetrack, racing track or racing circuit) is a facility built for racing of vehicles, athletes, or animals (e.g. horse racing or greyhound racing). A race track also may feature grandstands or concourses. Race tracks are also use ...
, the ''Autódromo Eusebio Marcilla'', was opened in 2003. The closure of much of Argentina's
passenger rail service during the 1990s was partly offset in Junín in part by the purchase of local rail facilities by
América Latina Logística
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
, a
São Paulo
São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for ' Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the Ga ...
-based rail transport provider operating largely in Argentina, as well as by establishment of the Junín Railworks Cooperative.
The city features numerous cinemas, as well as prominent stage theatres such as the
Teatro de la Ranchería (1971). The city's first institution of higher learning, the Junín Regional University (CURJ), was established in 1990; fused with its nearby,
Pergamino
Pergamino () is an Argentine city in the Province of Buenos Aires. It has a population of about 104,985 inhabitants as per the and is the administrative seat of its county, Pergamino Partido. Its UN/LOCODE is ARPGO.
History
Long valued for its m ...
counterpart, it became the
National University of Northwestern Buenos Aires (UNNOBA), in 2002. The public Dr. Abraham Piñeyro Emergency Hospital, opened in 1930, serves as the city's principal health care establishment; a new wing was added to the facility in 1997.
Famous people from Junín include Argentine supermodel
Yesica Toscanini,
Tour de France
The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage bicycle race primarily held in France, while also occasionally passing through nearby countries. Like the other Grand Tours (the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España), it consists ...
cyclist
Juan Antonio Flecha
Juan Antonio Flecha Giannoni (born 17 September 1977) is an Argentine-born Spanish former professional road bicycle racer, who competed as a professional between 2000 and 2013. Flecha had a reputation of being a Classics specialist and to ride ...
,
football greats such as coach
Osvaldo Zubeldía
Osvaldo Juan Zubeldía (24 June 1927 in Junín – 17 January 1982 in Medellín) was a football player and an influential Argentine coach.
Playing career
Zubeldía had a respectable playing career with Vélez Sársfield, Boca Juniors, Atlanta ...
, forward
Atilio García
Atilio Ceferino García Pérez (26 August 1914 – 12 December 1973) was an Argentine born Uruguayan naturalized footballer who played as a forward.
Gaecía is the top goal scorer in the history of Uruguayan football with 465 goals scored in ...
and goalie
Federico Vilar, the "wild bull of the pampas," boxer
Luis Ángel Firpo
Luis Ángel Firpo (October 11, 1894 – August 7, 1960) was an Argentine boxer. Born in Junín, Argentina, he was nicknamed ''The Wild Bull of the Pampas''.
Boxing career
In 1917, Firpo began his professional boxing career by beating Frank Ha ...
and
Elvira Rawson de Dellepiane, a militant
suffragist
Suffrage, political franchise, or simply franchise, is the right to vote in public, political elections and referendums (although the term is sometimes used for any right to vote). In some languages, and occasionally in English, the right to v ...
and the second woman to receive a medical degree 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 ...
; Junín was also where Eva Duarte was raised until an opportunity in
radio
Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmi ...
took her to Buenos Aires, in 1935. A decade later, she became the influential
Eva Perón
María Eva Duarte de Perón (; ; 7 May 1919 – 26 July 1952), better known as just Eva Perón or by the nickname Evita (), was an Argentine politician, activist, actress, and philanthropist who served as First Lady of Argentina from June 19 ...
(Evita).
A fellow UCR figure,
Moisés Lebensohn Moises or Moisés is a male name common among people of Iberian origin. It is the Spanish, Portuguese and Tagalog equivalent of the name Moses.
;Places
* Doctor Moisés Bertoni, a village in the Caazapá department of Paraguay
* Moises Padilla ...
, founded the city's leading news daily, ''
Democracia'', in 1931.
The city's mayor, elected in 2015, is Pablo Petrecca of Cambienos-PRO.
Gallery
File:Jun%C3%ADn_y_R%C3%ADo_Salado.jpg, View of Junín and the Río Salado
File:Junín Banco Nación 001.jpg, Local branch of the National Bank of Argentina
File:Junín Plaza 25 de Mayo 821.jpg, 25 May Square
File:JUNIN La Oriental 006.jpg, Estancia La Oriental
File:JUNIN Iglesia San Ignacio 003.jpg, Church of St. Ignatius of Loyola
File:Junín Iglesia Sagrado Corazón 001.jpg, Church of the Sacred Heart
File:Junín Avenida San Martín 975.jpg, San Martín Avenue
File:Museo_de_Arte_de_Jun%C3%ADn_001.JPG, The Ángel María de Rosa Museum of Art
File:JUNIN Fuente del Milenio 001.jpg, Gyula Kosice
Gyula Kosice ( hu, Falk Gyula; 26 April 1924 – 25 May 2016), born as Ferdinand Fallik, was a Czechoslovakian-born and naturalized Argentine sculptor, plastic artist, theorist, and poet. He played a pivotal role in defining the concrete and non ...
's ''Millenium Fountain''
File:Sáenz Peña desde Copahue 002.jpg, Sáenz Peña Avenue
File:Junín HIGA 001.jpg, Abraham Piñeyro Hospital
File:Junín FFCC 001.jpg, Junín Railway Station
File:JUNIN Carpincho Espigón 001.jpg, Fishermen's Pier on Lake El Carpincho
File:Junín Borchex 002.jpg, Mayor Borchex Municipal Park
File:Junín PNLG 003.jpg, Pier on Lake Gómez
Climate
Junín has a
humid subtropical climate (
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...
''Cfa'').
Winters are characterized with moderate temperatures during the day and cold nights.
In the coldest month, July, the average high is while the average low is .
Temperatures can occasionally fall below freezing during cold waves although during heat waves such as the
2009 heat wave, temperatures can reach up to when a record high of was recorded on August 29, 2009.
[
] During this time of the year, overcast days are more common, averaging 9–11 days per month although sunny days are common as well with 7-11 clear days per month from June to September.
Spring and fall are transition seasons featuring warm daytime temperatures and cool nighttime temperatures and are highly variable with some days reaching and below .
Summers are hot during the day while nights are mild.
They tend to be sunnier than the other seasons, averaging 8–11 clear days with less overcast days (only 6 per month).
[ In the hottest month, January, the average high is while the average low is .][ The average relative humidity is 75%, with the summer months being drier than the winter months.] The average first date of frost is on May 20 while the last date of frost is on September 11. This can vary from year to year with frosts that can extend into November or occur as early as April.[ Junín is moderately windy throughout the entire year with wind speeds ranging from a low of in April to in September.] On average, Junín receives of precipitation per year with 85 days with measureable precipitation with summer months being more wetter than the winter months, where most of the precipitation falls in the form of thunderstorms.[
] Junín receives approximately 2,569.3 hours of bright sunshine per year or 57% of possible sunshine per year, ranging from a low of 46% in June (only 138.0 hours of sunshine per month) to a high of 66% in both January and February.[ The highest recorded temperature was on December 29, 1971 while the lowest recorded temperature was on June 14, 1967.]
Transportation
The city is served by Junín Airport, which has no commercial air service but has had so in the past.
Notable people
* Juan Antonio Flecha
Juan Antonio Flecha Giannoni (born 17 September 1977) is an Argentine-born Spanish former professional road bicycle racer, who competed as a professional between 2000 and 2013. Flecha had a reputation of being a Classics specialist and to ride ...
, cyclist
* Luis Angel Firpo
Luis is a given name. It is the Spanish form of the originally Germanic name or . Other Iberian Romance languages have comparable forms: (with an accent mark on the i) in Portuguese and Galician, in Aragonese and Catalan, while is archaic ...
, boxer
* Eva Perón
María Eva Duarte de Perón (; ; 7 May 1919 – 26 July 1952), better known as just Eva Perón or by the nickname Evita (), was an Argentine politician, activist, actress, and philanthropist who served as First Lady of Argentina from June 19 ...
, Argentine First Lady
References
External links
*
Municipal website
''Diario Democracia''
– online newspaper and portal of the Junín area
''Diario La Verdad''
– online newspaper
{{DEFAULTSORT:Junin, Buenos Aires Province
Populated places in Buenos Aires Province
Populated places established in 1827
Junín Partido
Cities in Argentina
1827 establishments in Argentina