Mercedes () is a city in

Buenos Aires Province Buenos Aires, officially the Buenos Aires Province, is the largest and most populous Provinces of Argentina, Argentine province. It takes its name from the city of Buenos Aires, the capital of the country, which used to be part of the province an ...

, Argentina. It is located 100 km (62 miles) west from

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 ...

and 30 km (18 miles) southwest of Luján. It is the administrative headquarters for the district ('' partido'') of Mercedes as well as of the judicial district. The Catedral Basílica de Mercedes-Luján, located in the city, is the seat of the

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Mercedes-Luján The Archdiocese of Mercedes-Luján (; ) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in north-central Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. It was immediately subject to the Holy See, coming into 2019. Erected as th ...

. Mercedes has a population of 51,967 people (51,5% women, 48,5% men) as per the .

History

Mercedes was first established as a fortress against native indigenous attacks. Its original name was "''La Guardia de Luján''" and it was one of several fortress built in the ''borders'' of Buenos Aires to protect this city and gather the people living in the county near. It became a town on 25 June 1752 when founded by José de Zárate during a military campaign known as "''La Valerosa''". In 1777 viceroy

Pedro de Cevallos Pedro Antonio de Cevallos Cortés y Calderón, also spelled Ceballos (29 June 1715 – 26 December 1778), was a Spanish military Governor of Buenos Aires between 1757 and 1766, and the first Viceroy of the Río de la Plata in 1776. Biography Ped ...

proposed moving the town, but actually it was moved to its present location by viceroy Juan José de Vértiz on 8 May 1779. When moved its name was changed to "''Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes''". Mercedes is one of the few towns in Argentina in which three different railways meet, thus been connected with large commercial areas as Buenos Aires as well as the Pacific Ocean, the

Andes The Andes ( ), Andes Mountains or Andean Mountain Range (; ) are the List of longest mountain chains on Earth, longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range ...

range and the

pampas The Pampas (; from Quechua 'plain'), also known as the Pampas Plain, are fertile South American low grasslands that cover more than and include the Argentine provinces of Buenos Aires, La Pampa, Santa Fe, Entre Ríos, and Córdoba; all o ...

plains. This was a powerful reason during the 19th century for proposing the city as the capital of Buenos Aires Province. Finally

La Plata La Plata () is the capital city of Buenos Aires province, Argentina. According to the 2022 Argentina census, census, the La Plata Partido, Partido has a population of 772,618 and its metropolitan area, the Greater La Plata, has 938,287 inhabit ...

became capital, but Mercedes became known as the "West Pearl". In 1812 the

Mercedes Partido Mercedes Partido is a partido in the eastern part of Buenos Aires Province in Argentina. The provincial subdivision has a population of about 62,000 inhabitants in an area of , and its capital city is Mercedes, from Buenos Aires. Settlements * ...

was established because of the city's increasing population and commercial activities. The first municipal government was elected in 1856. Then-governor of Buenos Aires, Mariano Saavedra, officially named it "Ciudad de Mercedes" in 1865, the same year that railway came to Mercedes for the first time.

Churches

The most important churches in the city are: * Our Lady of Mercedes Cathedral located on San Martín square, also the location of the

italianate The Italianate style was a distinct 19th-century phase in the history of Classical architecture. Like Palladianism and Neoclassicism, the Italianate style combined its inspiration from the models and architectural vocabulary of 16th-century It ...

"Palacio Municipal" (city hall) and numerous cafés and restaurants. A library founded by President

Domingo Faustino Sarmiento Domingo Faustino Sarmiento (15 February 1811 – 11 September 1888) was President of Argentina from 1868 to 1874. He was a member of a group of intellectuals, known as the '' Generation of 1837'', who had a great influence on 19th-century Argent ...

is located a few streets away. Built in

neogothic Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half of the 19th century ...

style and inaugurated on April 16, 1921, in 1934 received "cathedral" status by Pope bull. The Cathedral was declared National Monument of Argentina by a decree signed by president

Cristina Fernández Cristina is a female given name, and it is also a surname. Notable people with the name include: Given name *Cristina (daughter of Edward the Exile), 11th-century English princess *Cristina (singer), Cristina Monet-Palaci (1956–2020), American s ...

in 2010. * St. Patrick's Church: Inaugurated on March 17, 1932 and remodeled in 2003, it has 2,500 m2 and a large number of vitraux, a figure representing St. Patrick among them. This church also has the largest

pipe organ The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurised air (called ''wind'') through the organ pipes selected from a Musical keyboard, keyboard. Because each pipe produces a single tone and pitch, the pipes are provide ...

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...

, with 4,700 tubes. It was directly brought from

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. A group of

gargoyle In architecture, and specifically Gothic architecture, a gargoyle () is a carved or formed Grotesque (architecture), grotesque with a spout designed to convey water from a roof and away from the side of a building, thereby preventing it from ...

s (18 in total) decorate the exterior of the church. * St. Luis Gonzaga Church: designated by architect

Pedro Benoit Pedro Benoit (February 18, 1836 – April 4, 1897) was an Argentine architect, engineer, and urbanist best known for designing the layout of La Plata City. Life and times Pedro Benoit was born in Buenos Aires in 1836 to María Josefa de las ...

('s son), is the oldest in the city, having been inaugurated as a chapel in 1891, after twelve years of construction. The chapel received "church" status in December 1941.

Transport

Railway

Mercedes has three railway stations, with two of them still active: Mercedes (Sarmiento) is terminus of the

Sarmiento Line The Sarmiento line is a broad gauge commuter rail service in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina, run by the state-owned Trenes Argentinos since 11 September 2013. The line is part of Domingo Sarmiento Railway, running trains departing from Once ...

diesel Diesel may refer to: * Diesel engine, an internal combustion engine where ignition is caused by compression * Diesel fuel, a liquid fuel used in diesel engines * Diesel locomotive, a railway locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engine ...

branch from

Moreno Moreno may refer to: Places Argentina * Moreno (Buenos Aires Metro), a station on Line C of the Buenos Aires Metro *Moreno, Buenos Aires, a city in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina * Moreno Department, a depatnent of Santiago del Estero Province, ...

and Mercedes (San Martín) is part of the San Martín Railway line where long-distance services are operated by state-owned companies

Trenes Argentinos Trenes Argentinos is the name that has been given since 2014 to a group of state-owned companies of Argentina, responsible for the operation of passenger and freight trains, infrastructure, and personal management. Although all its components are ...

and

Ferrobaires The Unidad Ejecutora del Plan Ferroviario Provincial (UEPFP) (in English: "Executive Unit of the Provincial Railway Plan"), mostly known under its trade name Ferrobaires, was a public railway company which operated extensive long-distance passenge ...

to Rufino and Alberdi respectively. The station was originally built by the

Buenos Aires and Pacific Railway The Buenos Aires and Pacific Railway (BA&P) (in Spanish: Ferrocarril Buenos Aires al Pacífico) was one of the ''Big Four'' Indian gauge, broad gauge, , British-owned companies that built and operated railway networks in Argentina. The original ...

. Mercedes Sarmiento and San Martín are also located few meters to one another. The third station is Mercedes (Belgrano), originally built by

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

-owned Compañía General and inactive since the 1970s. That station is far from the city's commercial area. Railway stations with the name "Mercedes" are: Notes: * ¹ ''The building is currently occupied by several non-profit associations.''

Road

Mercedes can be reached from the city of

by the "Acceso Oeste" and then by National Route 5 until km. 100. From the city of

Lobos Lobos is the headquarters city of the Lobos Partido in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. It was founded on 2 June 1802 by José Salgado. Background Located from Buenos Aires, Lobos is a fertile agricultural area known mainly because of the d ...

by Provincial Route 41 to the north (80-km length) and from

Chivilcoy Chivilcoy is a city in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina, the head town of the Chivilcoy Partido. It has 64,185 inhabitants according to the . Tourism February Carnivals In the month of February, a three-day carnival is held over an extende ...

by Route 5 to the northwest. The city can also be reached from

San Antonio de Areco San Antonio de Areco is a city in northern Buenos Aires Province, Argentina, and administrative seat of the Partidos of Buenos Aires, partido of San Antonio de Areco Partido, San Antonio de Areco. It is located on the Areco River away from Bueno ...

after completing 50 km-length (31 km) by Provincial Route 41. Mercedes has a

bus terminal A bus station, bus depot, or bus interchange is a structure where city buses or intercity buses stop to pick up and drop off passengers. A bus station is larger than a bus stop, which is usually simply a place on the roadside, where buses can st ...

, located near the Mercedes (Sarmiento) railway station.

Geography

Location

The city of Mercedes is 34° 39'south latitude and 59° 25' west longitude, along the Luján River. It is 35 km (30 min by car) from the city of Luján, one of the most important religious center and pilgrimage of Argentina; 100 km (62 mi) from

and, 152 km (94 mi) from

, capital of the province.

Climate

The climate of this region is the Mesopotamian type temperate humid with an annual average of 16 °C (60.8 °F). The winter is mild with average temperatures of 9 °C (48.2 °F), while the summer is mild with an average temperature of 23 °C (73.4 °F).

Popular culture

On the outskirts of Mercedes there is an old ''pulpería'' or rural bar and store, institutions which enjoy mythical status in

gaucho A gaucho () or gaúcho () is a skilled horseman, reputed to be brave and unruly. The figure of the gaucho is a folk symbol of Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil, the southern part of Bolivia, and the south of Chilean Patago ...

culture. Known as "''lo de Cacho''" (Cacho's), it claims to be the last pulpería of the

Pampas The Pampas (; from Quechua 'plain'), also known as the Pampas Plain, are fertile South American low grasslands that cover more than and include the Argentine provinces of Buenos Aires, La Pampa, Santa Fe, Entre Ríos, and Córdoba; all o ...

and retains the atmosphere of 1850, the year it opened. There is an original

wanted poster A wanted poster (or wanted sign) is a poster distributed to let the public know of a person whom authorities wish to apprehend. They generally include a picture of the person, either a photograph when one is available or of a facial composite ...

for the outlaw

Juan Moreira Juan Moreira (1819 - April 1874) is a well-known figure in the history of Argentina. An outlaw, gaucho and folk-hero, he is considered one of the most renowned Argentinian rural bandits. Early life Moreira was born in the administrative area of L ...

and reminders of gauchos, their culture and knife fights. There is an old war memorial called "''La Cruz de Palo''". It is a wooden cross remembering where the last of the

native Native may refer to: People * '' Jus sanguinis'', nationality by blood * '' Jus soli'', nationality by location of birth * Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory ** Nat ...

attacks to Mercedes took place on 27 October 1823. Mercedes is known for its

peach The peach (''Prunus persica'') is a deciduous tree first domesticated and Agriculture, cultivated in China. It bears edible juicy fruits with various characteristics, most called peaches and the glossy-skinned, non-fuzzy varieties called necta ...

es and

salami Salami ( ; : ''salame'') is a ''salume'' consisting of fermented and air-dried meat, typically pork. Historically, salami was popular among Southern, Eastern, and Central European peasants because it can be stored at room temperature fo ...

, been the venue for the National Peach Fair (''Fiesta Nacional del Durazno'') as well as the National Salami Fair (''Fiesta Nacional del Salame Quintero''). Both fairs have their own queen elected each year.

Miscellanea

Mercedes has been the birthplace of several football players (

Lucas Biglia Lucas Rodrigo Biglia (; born 30 January 1986) is an Argentine former professional Association football, footballer who played as a defensive midfielder. Formerly of Argentinos Juniors and Club Atlético Independiente, Independiente, he spent sev ...

), musicians, writers and journalists. Nevertheless, it is most known as the town where president

Héctor José Cámpora Héctor José Cámpora (26 March 190918 December 1980) was an Argentine politician. A major figure of left-wing Peronism, Cámpora was briefly Argentine president from 25 May to 13 July 1973 and subsequently arranged for Juan Perón to run for ...

was born as well as the military dictator and president

Jorge Rafael Videla Jorge Rafael Videla ( ; ; 2 August 1925 – 17 May 2013) was an Argentine military officer and the ''de facto'' President of Argentina from 1976 to 1981, during the National Reorganization Process. His rule, which was during the time of Operati ...

. The city was organized by a-hundred-meters-long square blocks (as a Roman

castra ''Castra'' () is a Latin language, Latin term used during the Roman Republic and Roman Empire for a military 'camp', and ''castrum'' () for a 'Fortification, fort'. Either could refer to a building or plot of land, used as a fortified milita ...

). The streets are numbered with even numbers from South to North and with odd numbers from East to West. Thus, is really easy to orient, find addresses and calculate distances along the city.

Gallery

File:Municipalidad de Mercedes.JPG, Municipal building File:Estatua a Mitre en Mercedes.JPG, Statue of

Bartolomé Mitre Bartolomé Mitre (26 June 1821 – 19 January 1906) was an Argentine statesman, soldier and author. He was President of Argentina from 1862 to 1868 and the first president of Argentine Civil Wars#National unification, unified Argentina. Mitre i ...

File:Mercedes - Iglesia - 200808c.jpg, Church of

Saint Patrick Saint Patrick (; or ; ) was a fifth-century Romano-British culture, Romano-British Christian missionary and Archbishop of Armagh, bishop in Gaelic Ireland, Ireland. Known as the "Apostle of Ireland", he is the primary patron saint of Irelan ...

File:Mercedes station fcbelgrano.jpg, Belgrano Railway train station File:Palacio de Tribunales de Mercedes.JPG, Palace of Justice File:Centro cultural Giosio.JPG, Argentine Theatre

External links

''Intendencia de Mercedes'' (City hall of Mercedes)

Mercedes Newspaper

Mercedes News 24 hours
* {{Authority control Cities in Argentina Populated places in Buenos Aires Province Populated places established in 1752 1750s establishments in the Viceroyalty of Peru 1752 establishments in South America