Quilmes, Buenos Aires
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Quilmes () is a city on the coast of the
Rio de la Plata Rio or Río is the Portuguese and Spanish word for "river". The word also exists in Italian, but is largely obsolete and used in a poetical or literary context to mean "stream". Rio, RIO or Río may also refer to: Places United States * Rio, Fl ...
, in the , on the southeast end of 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 ...
, being some away from the urban centre area 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 city was founded in 1666 and is the seat of the
eponymous An eponym is a noun after which or for which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. Adjectives derived from the word ''eponym'' include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''. Eponyms are commonly used for time periods, places, innovati ...
'' partido'' (district).


History

The ''
Quilmes Quilmes () is a city on the coast of the Rio de la Plata, in the , on the southeast end of the Greater Buenos Aires, being some away from the urban centre area of Buenos Aires. The city was founded in 1666 and is the seat of the eponymous '' ...
'' were a native tribe who lived in the surroundings of Tucumán. In the 17th century, after repeated attempts by the Spanish invaders to control their lands, the Quilmes were defeated and were forced to settle in a restricted colony ('' reducción'') near
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 ...
, where the authorities could control them. The settlement was thus established in 1666 as ''Exaltación de la Santa Cruz de los Kilme''. The journey from Tucumán was made on foot, causing hundreds of Quilmes to die in the process. The colony had been abandoned by 1810 and had become a
ghost town A ghost town, deserted city, extinct town, or abandoned city is an abandoned settlement, usually one that contains substantial visible remaining buildings and infrastructure such as roads. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economi ...
. The land was divided in parcels and the town of Quilmes was established in 1818, which would later flourish during the wave of immigration in late 19th-century Argentina. During the first
British invasion The British Invasion was a cultural phenomenon of the mid-1960s, when Rock music, rock and pop music acts from the United Kingdom and other aspects of Culture of the United Kingdom, British culture became popular in the United States with sign ...
, lasting 46 days in 1806, the British arrived from
Montevideo Montevideo (, ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Uruguay, largest city of Uruguay. According to the 2023 census, the city proper has a population of 1,302,954 (about 37.2% of the country's total population) in an area of . M ...
through Quilmes and went to Buenos Aires from there before being defeated and expelled. Quilmes was also inhabited by British immigrants. Juan Clark, born in Yorkshire, England, was president of the municipality in 1855. The Clark' were owners of land in Quilmes, and were linked to the Irish and Scottish community, established in the area since 1830s. In 1898 was established in the area the St. George's College, a private educational institution run by the Reverend
Joseph Thomas Stevenson Joseph is a common male name, derived from the Hebrew (). "Joseph" is used, along with " Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the modern-day Nordic count ...
. The town's development accelerated during the wave of
immigration in Argentina The history of immigration to Argentina can be divided into several major stages: * Spanish colonization of the Americas, Spanish colonization between the :es:Siglo XVI, 16th and :es:Siglo XVIII, 18th century, mostly male, largely assimilat ...
during the late 19th century, and Quilmes was considered as the location for a new provincial capital during the
Federalization of Buenos Aires The federalization of Buenos Aires was the process by which the city of Buenos Aires, until then capital of the province of Buenos Aires, was politically separated from the latter to put it under direct control of the national government as a fed ...
of 1880 (ultimately established in
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 ...
). The
Argentine Air Force The Argentine Air Force (, or simply ''FAA'') is the air force of Argentina and one of three branches of the Armed Forces of the Argentine Republic. In 2018, it had 13,837 military and 6,900 civilian personnel. FAA commander in chief is Brigadie ...
established a 220 ha (540 acre) base in East Quilmes in 1943. In 1944, Impa (Industria Metallurgica y Plastica Argentina) opened Argentina's first airplane plant at Quilmes. Impa had been blacklisted by the United States government due to its connections to Nazi-occupied Austria and fascist figures within Argentina itself. The airplanes were considered of "antiquated design" according to the New York Times. Quilmes proper consists of two main parts, east and west, which are divided by the tracks of the Metropolitano passenger train line. East Quilmes has several relatively wealthy areas and a large shopping district. As one travels east toward the
Río de la Plata The Río de la Plata (; ), also called the River Plate or La Plata River in English, is the estuary formed by the confluence of the Uruguay River and the Paraná River at Punta Gorda, Colonia, Punta Gorda. It empties into the Atlantic Ocean and ...
, neighborhoods become increasingly poor, and two large '' villas miseria'' (slums) are found close to the river. These areas often experience severe
flood A flood is an overflow of water (list of non-water floods, or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are of significant con ...
ing. Quilmes is the home of two
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
teams: Quilmes Atlético Club and Club Atlético Argentino de Quilmes. The first was founded in the 19th century by Cannon J. T. Stevenson, and the second one was founded later, by Argentines who were not allowed to play for the QAC. They are two of the oldest Argentine football teams. The city has been chosen by FIH to host the 2014 Men's Hockey Champions Trophy. The city also gives its name to the '' Cerveza Quilmes'' beer company, as this is where it was first brewed in 1888 where the brewery was started by Otto Bemberg; the establishment remains a leading employer in the city. Other significant manufacturers in Quilmes include textile maker La Bernalesa, glass maker Cattorini, construction materials maker Cerámica Quilmes, and climate control equipment maker Rheem.


Notable people

*
Sergio Agüero Sergio Leonel Agüero del Castillo (born 2 June 1988), also known as Kun Agüero, is an Argentine former professional Association football, footballer who played as a Forward (association football)#Striker, striker. He is regarded as one of th ...
, football forward * Julio Arca, former professional football player and current manager * Rubén Oscar Cocimano (born 1962), former Argentine football played * Victor de Pol, sculptor * Aníbal Fernández, former mayor, Minister of Interior, of Justice,
Chief of the Cabinet of Ministers The chief of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Argentine Nation (; JGM), more commonly known simply as the Cabinet chief () is a Ministries of the Argentine Republic, ministerial office within the Government of Argentina, government of Argentina t ...
, and Senator. * Susana Giménez, television variety show host * William Henry Hudson, author of "Far Away and Long Ago, A Childhood in Argentina" * Sergio Martínez, boxer * Carlos Morel, painter * Vox Dei, rock band * Maria Becerra, singer


See also

* List of twin towns and sister cities in Argentina


References


External links



- New York Times article from 1944 about new airplane factory at Quilmes
Municipality of Quilmes
- Official Quilmes website
UKULA Travel Section
- Quilmes Travelogue * {{Authority control Quilmes, Populated places in Buenos Aires Province Populated places established in 1818 Cities in Argentina 1666 establishments in the Spanish Empire