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
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 List of South American countries by area, second-largest ...
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and ...
Munro
A Munro () is defined as a mountain in Scotland with a height over , and which is on the Scottish Mountaineering Club (SMC) official list of Munros; there is no explicit topographical prominence requirement. The best known Munro is Ben Nev ...
.
Olivos is the
municipal seat
A municipal seat or ''cabecera municipal'' is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a municipality or civil parish with other villes or towns subordinated. The term is used in Brazil, Colombia,Vicente López Partido, and it is also seat of the Argentina presidencial residence.
History
A well-known stop along the Buenos Aires- Córdoba trade route for much of the 18th century, one of the area's first landowners,
Domingo de Acassuso
Domingo de Acassuso (1658–1727) was a Spanish politician and military man, who served as mayor of Buenos Aires in 1716. He was the founder of the city of San Isidro in Buenos Aires Province.
Biography
He was born in Zalla, province of Bis ...
, began cultivating olive trees around 1720 and the spot was officially named ''Olivos'' ("Olive Trees") on 19 February 1770. Much of the area was later purchased by Viceroy
Antonio de Olaguer y Feliú
Antonio Olaguer Feliú y Heredia López y Domec (1742–1813) was a Spanish soldier and politician who spent most of his career in South America.
Biography
Born in Villafranca del Bierzo, León, Olaguer Feliú was sent to Buenos Aires as a mili ...
and by a German immigrant, Hernán Wineberg, who sold a large tract in 1860 for the construction of the
Ferrocarril Central Argentino
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 establish ...
through the area. The 1863 inaugural of the local
railway station
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in Track (rail transport), tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the ...
, one of Argentina's first, began attracting homeowners drawn by the area's tranquility and convenient access to the rapidly growing capital and, in 1897, the Church of Jesus of the Olive Trees was consecrated. A 1905 edict subdivided San Isidro Partido in two, creating the modern Partido de Vicente López and designating Olivos as the seat.
Home to a growing upscale community by 1917, local businessman Rodolfo Negrete founded the city's first clinic and marina and, during the 1920s, the small marina was modernized and the city's streets paved. The opening of National Route 9 in the mid-1930s, west of the city, further accentuated the area's draw as a convenient suburb for Buenos Aires commuters. The city became the focus of national attention in 1941 when, upon the passing of Carlos Villate Olaguer (a great-great-grandson of Viceroy Olaguer y Feliú's), a section of the family's local land was deeded to the national government for use as the president's official residence. Graced by a mansion of an eclectic,
Neo-Gothic
Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...
-inspired style, the main house was commissioned by Miguel José de Azcuénaga in 1851 and designed by renowned local artist and architect Prilidiano Pueyrredón. The complementing structures for the compound were built in variations on
Baroque architecture
Baroque architecture is a highly decorative and theatrical style which appeared in Italy in the early 17th century and gradually spread across Europe. It was originally introduced by the Catholic Church, particularly by the Jesuits, as a means ...
.
The residence hosted the
Olivos Pact
The Olivos Pact ( es, Pacto de Olivos) refers to a series of documents signed on November 17, 1993, between the governing President of Argentina, Carlos Menem, and former President and leader of the opposition UCR, Raúl Alfonsín, that formed th ...
, a political agreement signed on 14 November 1993 between then-President
Carlos Menem
Carlos Saúl Menem (2 July 1930 – 14 February 2021) was an Argentine lawyer and politician who served as the President of Argentina from 1989 to 1999. Ideologically, he identified as a Peronist and supported economically liberal policies. He ...
and former President Raúl Alfonsín (head of the main opposition party, the centrist
Radical Civic Union
The Radical Civic Union ( es, Unión Cívica Radical, UCR) is a centrist and social-liberal political party in Argentina. It has been ideologically heterogeneous, ranging from social liberalism to social democracy. The UCR is a member of the S ...
). The pact secured support for
constitutional
A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed.
When these prin ...
reforms allowing for the re-election of the President well as for the popular election of the Mayor of Buenos Aires, hitherto an appointed post. The
Kheyvis
The Kheyvis fire was a fire in the Kheyvis nightclub in Olivos, Buenos Aires, Argentina. On 20 December 1993, a fire in the club caused the deaths of 17 teenagers in a graduation party for the La Salle College. It is believed to have been caused b ...
nightclub fire of 20 December 1993 in Olivos was the deadliest such tragedy in Argentina up to that time. Olivos was selected as a stop along the Tren de la Costa tourist railway upon the line's opening in 1994.
Geography
Olivos is located on the western bank 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 ...
, the world's widest river. The river is approximately wide at Olivos, and as such,
Uruguay
Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...
is not visible from ground level. However, Olivos (and this entire region of the Rio) do not have sandy beaches; the shoreline is relatively rocky. Comparable shorelines include those of the
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes in the mid-east region of North America that connect to the Atlantic Ocean via the Saint Lawrence River. There are five lakes ...
in North America. The city's topography is relatively flat. However, there are some ridges by the river towards the north, in the ''La Lucila'' neighbourhood.
The city is located about north 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 ...
, of which it is effectively a suburb, and south of
Rosario
Rosario () is the largest city in the central Argentine province of Santa Fe. The city is located northwest of Buenos Aires, on the west bank of the Paraná River. Rosario is the third-most populous city in the country, and is also the most p ...
.
Montevideo
Montevideo () is the capital and 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 . Montevideo is situated on the southern co ...
, capital of Uruguay is due east of Olivos, across the river.
Climate
Olivos has an
oceanic climate
An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters ...
(Cfb). The city has comfortably warm summers but cool winters. Temperatures are noticeably more moderate than in places further inland, or even in nearby Buenos Aires, due to the lack of an urban heat island. Rainfall is fairly consistent throughout the year.