Aarón Castellanos (August 8, 1799 – April 1, 1880) was an Argentine businessman and military commander. He founded the city of Esperanza in the

Santa Fe Province The Invincible Province of Santa Fe (, , lit. "Holy Faith") is a Provinces of Argentina, province of Argentina, located in the center-east of the country. Neighboring provinces are from the north clockwise Chaco Province, Chaco (divided by the 2 ...

. A locality bearing his name, is also named after him.

Early life and education

Aarón Castellanos was born into an aristocratic family in

Salta Salta () is the capital and largest city in the Provinces of Argentina, Argentine province of Salta Province, the same name. With a population of 618,375 according to the 2010 census, it is also the List of cities in Argentina, 7th most-populous ...

. His exact birth date is disputed: some sources state that he was born on 8 August 1799, while others claim he was born on the same date in 1800, in 1801, or even in 1802. He spent his early years in his hometown. At a young age, he joined the cavalry unit known as '' Los Infernales'', where he achieved the rank of lieutenant. Under the command of General

Martín Miguel de Güemes Martín Miguel de Güemes (8 February 1785 – 17 June 1821) was a military leader and popular caudillo who defended northwestern Argentina from the Spanish royalist army during the Argentine War of Independence. Biography Güemes was born in ...

, he took part in the wars of independence against royalist forces in

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 ...

. He later became involved in the mining trade with Peru, where he amassed a fortune working in the

gold Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...

and

silver Silver is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag () and atomic number 47. A soft, whitish-gray, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, and reflectivity of any metal. ...

mines of Pasco, one of the most important mining centers in the region.

References

1799 births 1880 deaths People from Salta Argentine nobility Argentine businesspeople Argentine military personnel 19th-century Argentine businesspeople 19th-century Argentine military personnel {{Argentina-business-bio-stub