Ezeiza () is the capital city of the

Ezeiza Partido Ezeiza Partido is a partido ( second-level administrative subdivision) located in the southern part of Gran Buenos Aires in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. The provincial subdivision has a population of 160,219 inhabitants in an area of , and ...

within the

Greater Buenos Aires Greater Buenos Aires (, GBA), also known as the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Area (, AMBA), refers to the urban agglomeration comprising the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of B ...

area in

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

. The city had a population of 160,219 in 2010. Ezeiza is one of the fastest-growing cities in Argentina; the city and its surroundings are known for the many gated communities there, as well as for the Ministro Pistarini International Airport and the Ezeiza Federal Prison Complex. Ezeiza and its surrounds are known as affluent areas.

History

Inhabited originally by the

Querandí The Querandí were one of the Het peoples, indigenous South Americans who lived in the Pampas area of Argentina; specifically, they were the eastern Didiuhet (Diuihet). The name Querandí was given by the Guaraní people, as they would consume ...

people, the land was then claimed by the

Conquistador Conquistadors (, ) or conquistadores (; ; ) were Spanish Empire, Spanish and Portuguese Empire, Portuguese colonizers who explored, traded with and colonized parts of the Americas, Africa, Oceania and Asia during the Age of Discovery. Sailing ...

es in 1588. The first

estancia An estancia or estância is a large, private plot of land used for farming or raising cattle or sheep. Estancias are located in the southern South American grasslands of Chilean and Argentine Patagonia, while the ''pampas'' have historically bee ...

(''Los Remedios'') and

chapel A chapel (from , a diminutive of ''cappa'', meaning "little cape") is a Christianity, Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. First, smaller spaces inside a church that have their o ...

in the area were founded by Juan Guillermo González y Aragón in 1758; one of González's great-grandsons was

Manuel Belgrano Manuel José Joaquín del Corazón de Jesús Belgrano (3 June 1770 – 20 June 1820), usually referred to as Manuel Belgrano (), was an Argentina, Argentine public servant, economist, lawyer, politician, journalist, and military leader. He to ...

, one of the most notable leaders of the

Argentine War of Independence The Argentine War of Independence () was a secessionist civil war (until 1816) fought from 1810 to 1818 by Argentine patriotic forces under Manuel Belgrano, Juan José Castelli, Martín Miguel de Güemes, Martin Miguel de Guemes and José de ...

. Gerónimo Ezeiza bought land nearby in 1767, and by the late 19th century his descendant José María Ezeiza became the largest landowner in the area. Following his death, Ezeiza's son-in-law donated land to the Buenos Aires Western Railway, and the town was founded around the new line on 17 July 1885; it was named in honor of the late José María Ezeiza.

Dairy farming Dairy farming is a class of agriculture for the long-term production of milk, which is processed (either on the farm or at a dairy plant, either of which may be called a dairy) for the eventual sale of a dairy product. Dairy farming has a h ...

dominated the Ezeiza landscape during the early 20th century. The town was chosen as the site of the nation's first

international airport An international airport is an airport with customs and border control facilities enabling passengers to travel between countries. International airports are usually larger than domestic airports, and feature longer runways and have faciliti ...

, which was inaugurated on the northern end of the city in 1949; a new neighborhood, ''Barrio Uno'', was built just north of the airport that year to house its employees, and the Ricchieri Freeway was opened in 1952 to connect the new airport to the city of

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...

. The National Atomic Energy Commission established the Ezeiza Atomic Center, a leading producer of

radioisotope A radionuclide (radioactive nuclide, radioisotope or radioactive isotope) is a nuclide that has excess numbers of either neutrons or protons, giving it excess nuclear energy, and making it unstable. This excess energy can be used in one of three ...

s for medical use, in 1967. The freeway was scene of the Ezeiza Massacre, in which at least 13 died in clashes between left and right-wing Peronists vying for the best vantage points from which to view the motorcade for exiled former President

Juan Perón Juan Domingo Perón (, , ; 8 October 1895 – 1 July 1974) was an Argentine military officer and Statesman (politician), statesman who served as the History of Argentina (1946-1955), 29th president of Argentina from 1946 to Revolución Libertad ...

upon his return to Argentina on 20 June 1973. Ezeiza grew steadily afterward as a

bedroom community A commuter town is a populated area that is primarily residential rather than commercial or industrial. Routine travel from home to work and back is called commuting, which is where the term comes from. A commuter town may be called by many o ...

, and a number of gated communities were developed (particularly in or near

Canning Canning is a method of food preservation in which food is processed and sealed in an airtight container (jars like Mason jars, and steel and tin cans). Canning provides a shelf life that typically ranges from one to five years, although under ...

, south of the city) from the 1990s onward. The ''Bosques de Ezeiza'' ('Ezeiza Woods') are likewise an important tourist attraction for the area. Other important institutions include the Dr. Alberto Eurnekian Hospital (2008), and th
Provincial University of Ezeiza
- which opened its doors in 2012 as the first university dedicated to

aeronautics Aeronautics is the science or art involved with the study, design process, design, and manufacturing of air flight-capable machines, and the techniques of operating aircraft and rockets within the atmosphere. While the term originally referred ...

in Latin America; a proposal was submitted later that year to the National University Council by the school for its

nationalization Nationalization (nationalisation in British English) is the process of transforming privately owned assets into public assets by bringing them under the public ownership of a national government or state. Nationalization contrasts with p ...

. Part of

Esteban Echeverría Partido Esteban Echeverría Partido is a partido in the Gran Buenos Aires urban area, in Buenos Aires Province in Argentina. The provincial subdivision has a population of 300,959 inhabitants in an area of , and its capital city is Monte Grande, whic ...

since its establishment in 1913, Ezeiza was made the seat of its namesake county upon its own establishment in 1994. A new, postmodern city hall was inaugurated in 2007.

Climate

Notable people

* Félix Décima (born 1979), footballer

References

External links

Information
from the ministry of internal affairs
Ezeiza portal
{{Authority control Populated places in Buenos Aires Province Populated places established in 1885 Cities in Argentina