Quilmes () is a city on the coast of the
Rio de la Plata
Rio or Río is the Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, and Maltese word for "river". When spoken on its own, the word often means Rio de Janeiro, a major city in Brazil.
Rio or Río may also refer to:
Geography Brazil
* Rio de Janeiro
* Rio do Sul, a ...
, in the , on the
south east
The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each se ...
of the
Greater Buenos Aires
Greater Buenos Aires ( es, Gran Buenos Aires, GBA), also known as the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Area ( es, Área Metropolitana de Buenos Aires, AMBA), refers to the urban agglomeration comprising the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires and the adjac ...
. The city was founded in 1666 and it is the seat of the
eponymous county. With a population of 230,810, it is located south of the capital of Argentina, the Autonomous 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 ...
.
History
The ''
Quilmes
Quilmes () is a city on the coast of the Río de la Plata, Rio de la Plata, in the , on the south east of the Greater Buenos Aires. The city was founded in 1666 and it is the seat of the Quilmes Partido, eponymous county. With a population of 230 ...
'' were a native tribe who lived in the surroundings of
Tucumán. In the 17th century, after repeated attempts by the Spanish invaders to control their lands, the Quilmes were defeated and were forced to settle in a restricted colony (''
reducción'') near
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 ...
, where the authorities could control them. The settlement was thus established in 1666 as ''Exaltación de la Santa Cruz de los Kilme''. The journey from Tucumán was made on foot, causing hundreds of Quilmes to die in the process. The colony had been abandoned by 1810 and had become a
ghost town
Ghost Town(s) or Ghosttown may refer to:
* Ghost town, a town that has been abandoned
Film and television
* Ghost Town (1936 film), ''Ghost Town'' (1936 film), an American Western film by Harry L. Fraser
* Ghost Town (1956 film), ''Ghost Town'' ...
. The land was divided in parcels and the town of Quilmes was established in 1818. During the first
British invasion
The British Invasion was a cultural phenomenon of the mid-1960s, when rock and pop music acts from the United Kingdom and other aspects of British culture became popular in the United States and significant to the rising "counterculture" on ...
, lasting 46 days in 1806, the British arrived from
Montevideo
Montevideo () is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Uruguay, largest city of Uruguay. According to the 2011 census, the city proper has a population of 1,319,108 (about one-third of the country's total population) in an area of . M ...
through Quilmes and went to Buenos Aires from there.
Quilmes was also inhabited by British immigrants. Juan Clark, born in
Yorkshire, England
Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other English counties, functions have ...
, was president of the municipality in 1855. The Clark' were owners of land in Quilmes, and were linked to the
Irish
Irish may refer to:
Common meanings
* Someone or something of, from, or related to:
** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe
***Éire, Irish language name for the isle
** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
and
Scottish community, established in the area since 1830s.
In 1898 was established in the area the
St. George's College, a private educational institution run by the Reverend
Joseph Thomas Stevenson
Joseph is a common male given name, derived from the Hebrew Yosef (יוֹסֵף). "Joseph" is used, along with "Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the mo ...
.
The town's development accelerated during the wave of
immigration in Argentina
Immigration to Argentina began in several millennia BCE with the arrival of different populations from Asia to the Americas through Beringia, according to the most accepted theories, and were slowly populating the Americas. Upon arrival of ...
during the late 19th century, and Quilmes was considered as the location for a new provincial capital during the
Federalization of Buenos Aires
Federalization, in Argentine law, is the process of assigning federal status to a territory with the purpose of making that territory the national capital.
Federalization of Buenos Aires politically separated the city from the Buenos Aires Provinc ...
of 1880 (ultimately established in
La Plata). The
Argentine Air Force
"Argentine Wings"
, mascot =
, anniversaries = 10 August (anniversary) 1 May (Baptism of fire during the Falklands War)
, equipment = 139 aircraft
, equipment_label =
, battles =
* Operation Independence
* Operation Soberanía
* Falkl ...
established a 220 ha (540 acre) base in East Quilmes in 1943. In 1944, Impa (Industria Metallurgica y Plastica Argentina) opened Argentina's first airplane plant at Quilmes. Impa had been blacklisted by the United States government due to its connections to Nazi-occupied Austria and fascist figures within Argentina itself. The airplanes were considered of "antiquated design" according to the New York Times.
Quilmes proper consists of two main parts, east and west, which are divided by the tracks of the
Metropolitano
Metropolitano S.A. was a privately owned consortium formed in 1994 to take over concessions granted by the Argentine government as part of railway privatisation during the presidency of Carlos Menem for the operation of commuter rail services i ...
passenger train line. East Quilmes has several relatively wealthy areas and a large shopping district. As one travels east toward the
Río de la Plata
The Río de la Plata (, "river of silver"), also called the River Plate or La Plata River in English, is the estuary formed by the confluence of the Uruguay River and the Paraná River at Punta Gorda. It empties into the Atlantic Ocean and fo ...
, neighborhoods become increasingly poor, and two large ''
villas miseria
A ''villa miseria'' (), or just ''villa'', is the informal term for a type of shanty town slum found in Argentina, mostly around the largest urban settlements.
Name
The term is a noun phrase made up of the Spanish words ''villa'' (''village'', '' ...
'' (slums) are found close to the river. These areas often experience severe
flood
A flood is an overflow of water ( or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are an area of study of the discipline hydrol ...
ing.
Quilmes is the home of two
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
teams:
Quilmes Atlético Club
Quilmes Atlético Club () is an Argentine sports club based in the Quilmes district of Greater Buenos Aires. Established in 1887 (although the date of foundation is still under dispute), Quilmes is the oldest club of Argentina still competing ...
and
Club Atlético Argentino de Quilmes
Club Atlético Argentino de Quilmes, simply known as Argentino de Quilmes, is an Argentine football club from Quilmes, Buenos Aires. The team currently plays in Primera B, the third division of the Argentine football league system.
History
...
. The first was founded in the 19th century by Cannon J. T. Stevenson, and the second one was founded later, by Argentines who were not allowed to play for the QAC. They are two of the oldest Argentine football teams. The city has been chosen by
FIH to host the
2014 Men's Hockey Champions Trophy.
The city also gives its name to the ''
Cerveza Quilmes
Cervecería y Maltería Quilmes () is an Argentine drink company founded in 1890 in the city of Quilmes in Greater Buenos Aires. The company was established by Otto Bemberg, a German immigrant, in 1890 as a beer manufacturer. '' beer company, as this is where it was first brewed in 1888 where the brewery was started by
Otto Bemberg
Otto Bemberg (May 1, 1827 – March 2, 1895) was a German Argentine businessman prominent in the development of early Argentine industry. He is mostly notable for having been the founder of Cervecería y Maltería Quilmes, the largest brewery in t ...
; the establishment remains a leading employer in the city. Other significant manufacturers in Quilmes include textile maker La Bernalesa, glass maker Cattorini, construction materials maker Cerámica Quilmes, and climate control equipment maker
Rheem.
Famous ''Quilmeños'' include television variety show host
Susana Giménez, football forward
Sergio Agüero
Sergio Leonel Agüero del Castillo (born 2 June 1988), also known as Kun Agüero, is an Argentine former professional footballer who played as a striker. He is considered one of the best strikers of his generation and one of the greatest play ...
, painter
Carlos Morel, sculptor
Victor de Pol, boxer
Sergio Martínez, and the rock band
Vox Dei.
Aníbal Fernández
Aníbal Domingo Fernández (born January 9, 1957) is an Argentina, Argentine Justicialist Party politician, lawyer, and certified public accountant. Throughout his career, he has remained a close ally to the former President of Argentina, Preside ...
, who was born in Quilmes, served as mayor from 1991 to 1995, and from 2003 as Minister of Interior, of Justice, as
Chief of the Cabinet of Ministers, and Senator.
Notable people
*
Rubén Oscar Cocimano (born 1962), former Argentine football player
See also
*
List of twin towns and sister cities in Argentina
This is a list of municipalities in Argentina which have standing links to local communities in other countries known as "town twinning" (usually in Europe) or "sister cities" (usually in the rest of the world).
A
Aldea Valle María
* Meinha ...
References
External links
- New York Times article from 1944 about new airplane factory at Quilmes
Municipality of Quilmes- Official Quilmes website
UKULA Travel Section- Quilmes Travelogue
*
{{Authority control
Quilmes,
Populated places in Buenos Aires Province
Populated places established in 1818
Cities in Argentina
1666 establishments in the Spanish Empire