Ramos Mejía is a Town in

La Matanza Partido La Matanza ('The Slaughter' in Spanish) is a ''Partidos of Buenos Aires, partido'' (county or department) located in the urban agglomeration of Greater Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. This provincial subdivision had 1,775,272 inh ...

Buenos Aires Province 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. The town has an area of and a population of 98,547. The city is one of the largest commercial districts in the Western Zone of

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 ...

History

The land where the city is now located was originally purchased from Martín José de Altolaguirre by Francisco Ramos Mejía in 1808. Ramos Mejía was the son of a merchant from

Seville Seville (; es, Sevilla, ) is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula ...

, and had returned from a nine-year stay in the

Upper Peru Upper Peru (; ) is a name for the land that was governed by the Real Audiencia of Charcas. The name originated in Buenos Aires towards the end of the 18th century after the Audiencia of Charcas was transferred from the Viceroyalty of Peru to th ...

, where his business interests had met with success. The ranch became noteworthy as the site of the first public religious controversy in Argentina, when Ramos Mejía's differences over the interpretation of

biblical canon A biblical canon is a set of texts (also called "books") which a particular Jewish or Christian religious community regards as part of the Bible. The English word ''canon'' comes from the Greek , meaning " rule" or "measuring stick". The use ...

with the local parish priest, Father Castañeda, led to the former's exile from the parish in 1821. The property remained in name of wife, María Antonia Segurola de Ramos Mejía, who became its sole proprietor upon her husband's death in 1828. Confiscated by order of Governor

Juan Manuel de Rosas Juan Manuel José Domingo Ortiz de Rosas (30 March 1793 – 14 March 1877), nicknamed "Restorer of the Laws", was an Argentine politician and army officer who ruled Buenos Aires Province and briefly the Argentine Confederation. Althoug ...

in 1840, it was returned to the widow in 1853 following Rosas'

overthrow Overthrow may refer to: * Overthrow, a change in government, often achieved by force or through a coup d'état. **The 5th October Overthrow, or Bulldozer Revolution, the events of 2000 that led to the downfall of Slobodan Milošević in the former ...

. She bequeathed the land to her four sons in a

living trust A trust is a legal relationship in which the holder of a right gives it to another person or entity who must keep and use it solely for another's benefit. In the Anglo-American common law, the party who entrusts the right is known as the "settl ...

. They, in turn, sold the first lots to the

Buenos Aires Western Railway The Buenos Aires Western Railway (BAWR) (in Spanish: Ferrocarril Oeste de Buenos Aires), inaugurated in the city of Buenos Aires on 29 August 1857, was the first railway built in Argentina and the start of the extensive rail network which was ...

, which opened the station at the site on September 25, 1858, along the nation's first

rail line Rail terminology is a form of technical terminology. The difference between the American term ''railroad'' and the international term ''railway'' (used by the International Union of Railways and English-speaking countries outside the United Sta ...

Subsequent sales by the heirs, and its resale as parcels, led to the establishment of the town in 1871. Buoyed by the subsequent 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 ...

, Ramos Mejía grew rapidly and in 1904, the

cobblestone Cobblestone is a natural building material based on cobble-sized stones, and is used for pavement roads, streets, and buildings. Setts, also called Belgian blocks, are often casually referred to as "cobbles", although a sett is distinct fro ...

Avenida Rivadavia Avenida Rivadavia is one of the principal thoroughfares in Buenos Aires, Argentina, extending from downtown Buenos Aires to the western suburb of Merlo. History Upon the designation of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata by the Spanish ...

reached the town from Buenos Aires. The original station was replaced in 1907 by a larger structure designed by Dutch architect John Doyer; one of the most recognizable examples of

Victorian architecture Victorian architecture is a series of architectural revival styles in the mid-to-late 19th century. ''Victorian'' refers to the reign of Queen Victoria (1837–1901), called the Victorian era, during which period the styles known as Victorian we ...

in Argentina, the building itself was converted to a museum in 2008. Ramos Mejía would be the site of other milestones in the history of Argentine public transport. The establishment of the Transporte Ideal San Justo, a

shared taxi Shared may refer to: * Sharing * Shared ancestry or Common descent * Shared care * Shared-cost service * Shared decision-making in medicine * Shared delusion, various meanings * Shared government * Shared intelligence or collective intelligence ...

company, in 1921, marked the birth of the popular transport service in Argentina (where they are known as ''

colectivo ''Colectivo'' (English: collective bus) is the name given in Argentina, Colombia, Chile and Paraguay to a type of public transportation vehicle, especially those of Argentina's capital city, Buenos Aires. The name comes from ''vehículos de tra ...

s''). The

electrification Electrification is the process of powering by electricity and, in many contexts, the introduction of such power by changing over from an earlier power source. The broad meaning of the term, such as in the history of technology, economic histor ...

of the Western Railway line in 1923 between Ramos Mejía and the

Once railway station Once railway station ( es, Estación Once de Septiembre, translation=Eleventh of September Station, ; informally known as ) is a large railway terminus in central Buenos Aires, Argentina, in the ''barrio'' of Balvanera. The station, inaugurate ...

terminal in Buenos Aires would be another first in the nation. Among the most important educational institutions in the city are the Ward College, established in 1913, the Santo Domingo College (founded in 1915), and the

Salesian , image = File:Stemma big.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms , abbreviation = SDB , formation = , founder = John Bosco , founding_location = Valdocco, Turin ...

Wilfrid Barón College of

Don Bosco John Melchior Bosco ( it, Giovanni Melchiorre Bosco; pms, Gioann Melchior Bòsch; 16 August 181531 January 1888), popularly known as Don Bosco , was an Italian Catholic priest, educator, writer and saint of the 19th century. While working ...

, established in 1930; one of its alumni was the future

Pope Francis Pope Francis ( la, Franciscus; it, Francesco; es, link=, Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church. He has been the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 13 March 2013. ...

, who (as Jorge Bergoglio) studied here as a sixth-grader. The local ''Casa de la Cultura'' ("cultural house") houses the

Leopoldo Marechal Leopoldo Marechal (June 11, 1900 – June 26, 1970) was one of the most important Argentine writers of the twentieth century. Biographical notes Born in Buenos Aires into a family of French and Spanish descent, Marechal became a primary sch ...

Theatre, one of the most important such establishments in La Matanza County. Ramos Mejía was officially recognized as a city by the Provincial Legislature on September 17, 1964. The city is the birthplace of, among other well-known personalities in Argentina, comedian

Antonio Gasalla Antonio Gasalla (born March 9, 1941) is an Argentine actor, comedian, and theatre director. Life and work Antonio Gasalla was born in Ramos Mejía, a western suburb of Buenos Aires, in 1941. He enrolled at the National Dramatic Arts Conservatory ...

, cyclist and olympic gold medalist Walter Pérez, former Vice President

Carlos Ruckauf Carlos Federico Ruckauf (born July 10, 1944) is a Peronist politician in Argentina, member of the Justicialist Party. He served as Minister of Foreign Affairs from January 2002 to March 2003. He had earlier served as Vice-President of Argentina fr ...

, Governor

Daniel Scioli Daniel Osvaldo Scioli (, ; born 13 January 1957) is an Argentine politician, sportsman, and businessman. He was Vice President of Argentina from 2003 to 2007 and Governor of Buenos Aires Province from 2011 to 2015. From 2020 to 2022 he was Argen ...

, screenwriter

Damián Szifrón Damián is a Czech, Slovak and Spanish male given name, which is a form of the name Damian. Damian is derived from the Greek name Δαμιανος (Damianos), from the Greek word δαμαζω (damazo), meaning "to tame" or "to master".''Behind the ...

, and songwriter

María Elena Walsh María Elena Walsh (1 February 1930 – 10 January 2011) was an Argentine poet, novelist, musician, playwright, writer and composer, mainly known for her songs and books for children. Her work includes many of the most popular children's boo ...

Places of Interest

Ramos Mejía is located approximately 14 km from City center of the capital, and has rapid access through

highway A highway is any public or private road or other public way on land. It is used for major roads, but also includes other public roads and public tracks. In some areas of the United States, it is used as an equivalent term to controlled-access ...

s. Has many importante historical buildings, churches, and huge schools and edifications, very attractive residential places, intense night life, Cultural centers and a mall (called in Argentina) with many products and services, together to the downtown where a mix between old houses and very big tower buildings and offices. Estación Ramos Mejía 02

The Ramos Mejia Station: it's a city heritage, and the mansion next to the station has a huge simolic value, because it's the center of the story of Ramos Mejia. This building, from 1906 was designed and built by the Architect

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

John Doyer John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second ...

(1862-1936), who designed and built also the

. The architecture design matches the late Victorian style.

Education

Public Schools

*School Nuestra Señora del Carmen (Elementary) *School General José de San Martín (Elementary/High School) *School

José Manuel Estrada José Manuel Estrada (born in Buenos Aires el 13 July 1842; died in Asunción, Paraguay, 17 September 1894) was an Argentine lawyer, writer, politician, eminent speaker and representative of Catholic thought. Biography José Manuel Estrada, w ...

(Elementary/High School) *School

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 th ...

(Elementary) *School República de Brasil (Elementary) *School

Juan Bautista Alberdi Juan Bautista Alberdi (August 29, 1810 – June 19, 1884) was an Argentine political theorist and diplomat. Although he lived most of his life in exile in Montevideo, Uruguay and in Chile, he influenced the content of the Constitution of Argenti ...

(Elementary) *School

Hipólito Yrigoyen Juan Hipólito del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús Yrigoyen (; 12 July 1852 – 3 July 1933) was an Argentine politician of the Radical Civic Union and two-time President of Argentina, who served his first term from 1916 to 1922 and his second ...

(Elementary) *School

Patricias Argentinas Patricias Argentinas ( en, Argentine Patricians) was fourteen women who on 30 May 1812 called for the collection of funds for the equipment of the rebel army fighting for freedom from Spain during the Argentine War of Independence. Each one of th ...

(Elementary) *School Jorge Simon Liborio Muse (Elementary) *School Sargento Cabral (Elementary) *School General G. A. de Lamadrid (Elementary) *School Alas Argentinas (Elementary) *School República de Venezuela (Elementary) *School José Félix Bogado (High School) *School Santa María de Buenos Aires (High School) *School

Esteban Echeverria Esteban () is a Spanish male given name, derived from Greek Στέφανος (Stéphanos) and related to the English names Steven and Stephen. Although in its original pronunciation the accent is on the penultimate syllable, English-speakers tend t ...

(High School) *School Juan B de la Salle (High School)

Private Schools

*School Nuestra Señora de Fatima (Elementary - High School) *School Parroquial San Juan XXIII (Maternal - Inicial - Elementary - High School regular and technical - Tertiary) *Institute Don Bosco (Elementary - High School) *School Ramos Mejia (Inicial - Elementary - High School) * School Santo Domingo (Kindergarten - Elementary - High School) *Institute San Miguel (Inicial - Elementary - High School) *School Santísimo Redentor (Elementary - High School) *Escuela Argentina del Oeste (Elementary - High School) *Escuela

Jean Piaget Jean William Fritz Piaget (, , ; 9 August 1896 – 16 September 1980) was a Swiss psychologist known for his work on child development. Piaget's theory of cognitive development and epistemological view are together called " genetic epistemolog ...

(Elementary - High School) *Institute Santo Tomás de Aquino (Kindergarten - Elementary - High School) *Institute French (Kindergarten - Elementary - High School) *School del Parque (Elementary - High School) *Escuela Colina de la Paz (Elementary) *Institute Sarmiento (High School) *Institute Juan José Castelli (High School) — Closed in 2008 permanently *School Guillermo de Orange - Orange Day School (Inicial - Elementary - High School)

Public Figures

Luis Fabián Artime Luis Fabián Artime (born December 15, 1965) is an Argentine former professional footballer who played as a forward. Artime was born in Ramos Mejía, Greater Buenos Aires. He spent most of his career playing for Belgrano de Córdoba where h ...

, soccer player * Juan Alberto Badía, radio and tv host *

Lázaro Barbieri Lázaro is a Spanish or Portuguese-based given name or surname. Notable people with the name include: Given name *Lázaro (footballer, born 1990), full name Lázaro Vinícius Alves Martins, Brazilian footballer *Lázaro (footballer, born 2002), ful ...

, politician *

Héctor Calcaño Héctor Calcaño (born Héctor Calcagno, 1894–1969) was an Argentine film actor. He appeared in nearly 70 films between 1933 and 1968. Filmography *''Este cura'' (1968) - a.k.a. Operación San Antonio (Argentina) *''La señora del intendente' ...

, actor * Catriel Ciavarella, musician * Alberto Samid business man * Ignacio Copani, musician *

Rodolfo D'Onofrio Rodolfo is a given name. Notable people with the name include: * Rodolfo (footballer, born 1992), Brazilian footballer Rodolfo José da Silva Bardella *Rodolfo Albano III, Filipino politician * Rodolfo Vera Quizon Sr. (1928-2012), Filipino actor ...

Club Atlético River Plate Club Atlético River Plate, commonly known as River Plate, is an Argentine professional sports club based in the Núñez, Buenos Aires, Núñez neighborhood of Buenos Aires. Founded in 1901, the club is named after the English name for the city ...

president *

Germán Delfino Germán Delfino (born 4 May 1978) is an Argentine football referee, who officiates primarily in the Argentine Primera División since 2010, as well as for FIFA as a FIFA international referee since 2012. As international referee, he had ta ...

, soccer referee * Mariano Donda, soccer player *

Leopoldo Federico Leopoldo Federico (12 January 1927 – 28 December 2014) was an Argentine bandoneon player, arranger, director and composer. Life Born in the district of Balvanera, Once in the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina, Federico was one of the most outstan ...

, tango conductor *

Sabrina Garciarena Sabrina Paola Garciarena (born July 19, 1983) is an Argentine actress and model. Biography Sabrina Paola Garciarena was born on Julissa 19, 1983 in Ramos Mejía, Buenos Aires, Argentina. She is the daughter of Susana and Osvaldo. She has one ...

, actress * Willy Gardi, musician *

, actor and comedian *

Christian Gómez Christian Gómez (born 7 November 1974) is an Argentine former professional footballer. Career Argentina Gómez began playing professional soccer at the age of 17 with Argentine club Nueva Chicago, which was at the time playing in the se ...

, soccer player *

Araceli González Araceli Edith González (; born June 19, 1967) is an Argentine actress, fashion model and TV host. Biography González was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She began performing arts at a young age after winning a dance tournament at the theater ...

, actress * Rolando Hanglin, radio host * Virginia Hanglin, radio and tv host *

Diana Ingro Susana Unía (26 October 1917 – 23 March 2017), known professionally as Diana Ingro, was an Argentine actress known for starring in '' By the Sweat of Your Brow'' (1949), ''Muerte civil'' (1954), '' The Cicada Is Not a Bug'' (1963), and '' Extr ...

, actress *

Horacio Lalia The name Horacio is found sporadically throughout all Latinamerica. Historical Figures *Horacio Quiroga, an Uruguayan author and writer. *Horacio Carochi, an Italian Jesuit priest and grammarian *Horacio Pagani (auto executive) (born 1955), Argen ...

, comic artist * Román Lejtman, journalist * Guillermo López, tv host *

Verónica Magario Verónica María Magario (born 26 May 1969) is an Argentine politician, currently serving as Vice Governor of Buenos Aires Province, alongside Governor Axel Kicillof, since 10 December 2019. From 2015 to 2019, Magario was ''intendente'' (mayor) o ...

, politician, Mayor of La Matanza between 2015 and 2019 * Pablo Alejandro Migliore, soccer player * Jorge Minissale, rock musician *

Enrique Meyer Enrique () is the Spanish variant of the given name Heinrich of Germanic origin. Equivalents in other languages are Henry (English), Enric (Catalan), Enrico (Italian), Henrik (Swedish, Danish, and Norwegian), Heinrich (German), Hendrik, Henk (Du ...

, politician, Tourism minister between 2010 and 2015 *

Agustín Orión Agustín Ignacio Orión (; born 26 June 1981) is an Argentine former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He was capped three times for Argentina. Club career Orion was San Lorenzo's first choice goalkeeper in 2007, when he helpe ...

, soccer player (Boca Juniors) * Gustavo "Cucho" Parisi, singer and musician, leader of

Los Auténticos Decadentes Los Auténticos Decadentes (Spanish for "The Authentic Decadents") is an Argentine band that mixes ska with Latin American rhythms. The band was formed around the year 1986 by Cucho and Nito, who invited Gastón to join them. Their first hit was ...

* Walter Pérez, cyclist * Monseñor Jerónimo Podestá *

Erica Rivas Erica or ERICA may refer to: * Erica (given name) * ''Erica'' (plant), a flowering plant genus * Erica (chatbot), a service of Bank of America * ''Erica'' (video game), a 2019 FMV video game * ''Erica'' (spider), a jumping spider genus * Eric ...

, actress *

, politician *

Luciano Scaglione Luciano is an Italian, Spanish and Portuguese given name and surname. It is derived from Latin ''Lucianus'', patronymic of ''Lucius'' ("Light"). The French form is ''Lucien'', while the Basque form is ''Luken''. Single name * Luciano (rapper) ...

, bass player and vocalist of

Attaque 77 Attaque 77 ("Attack 77"), sometimes stylized as A77aque, is an Argentine punk rock group. The band was formed in 1987 as a group of friends who got together to play their favorite songs, most of them by The Ramones, their favorite band and the o ...

Damián Szifron Damián Szifron (Argentine ; born 9 July 1975) is an Argentine film and television director and screenwriter, best known as the creator of the TV series ''Los Simuladores'' (2002), the most successful TV series in the history of Argentina, and ...

, tv producer *

Eugenia Tobal ''Eugenia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the myrtle family Myrtaceae. It has a worldwide, although highly uneven, distribution in tropical and subtropical regions. The bulk of the approximately 1,100 species occur in the New World tropics, ...

, actress *

Fernando Tobio Omar Fernando Tobio (born October 18, 1989) is an Argentine professional footballer currently playing for Huracan. Club career Tobio made his debut for Vélez Sársfield on March 1, 2008. In 2009, he was part of the squad that won the Clausur ...

, soccer player *

, writer and musician

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ramos Mejia La Matanza Partido Populated places in Buenos Aires Province Populated places established in 1871 1871 establishments in Argentina Cities in Argentina