San Nicolás de los Arroyos
Encyclopedia
San Nicolás de los Arroyos (usually shortened to San Nicolás) is a city in the province
of Buenos Aires
, Argentina
, on the western shore of the Paraná River
, 61 km from Rosario
. It has about 138,000 inhabitants . It is the head town of the partido
of the same name. It is sometimes called Ciudad de María (City of Mary) of a series of Marian apparitions recorded since the 1970s.
, now patron of the city.
The closeness to the border between Buenos Aires and two other large provinces made the city a natural stage for the struggle between federalist
and Unitarians
forces in mid-19th century. The agreement between thirteen provinces on 31 May 1852, which ratified the Federal Pact
and called for a Constitutional
Assembly sponsored by Justo José de Urquiza
, was signed in this town, and became known as Acuerdo de San Nicolás de los Arroyos
.
The city is located in the north-east of the province of Buenos Aires, 240 km from Buenos Aires
City, within the so-called Industrial Corridor that goes from Greater Rosario
to La Plata
. Its limits are: to the west, Pergamino
; to the south, Ramallo
; to the east, with the Paraná River, which separates it from the province of Entre Ríos
; and to the north, with the Arroyo del Medio
, a small river that separates it from the province of Santa Fe
.
Its main accesses are in the north-south axis: the Rosario-Buenos Aires Highway
, and the Nuevo Central Argentino
railroad.
San Nicolás has an important port
on the Paraná, able to service large cargo ships. The railway system has passenger and cargo stations, the latter reaching up to the port.
The city has 43 kindergarten institutions, 58 schools of Elementary Education, 28 of High-school level (both public and private), 26 schools for adults and a large number of tertiary studies institutes.
There are a variety cultural institutions in the city, though the most important one is perhaps the Rafael de Aguiar Municipal Theatre, founded on August 10, 1908, and designed as a smaller model of the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires.
Among the many libraries in the city, the oldest and largest is the Rafael de Aguiar Popular Library
, founded in 1947 by Juana Couretot de Guella.
Provinces of Argentina
Argentina is subdivided into twenty-three provinces and one autonomous city...
of Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires Province
The Province of Buenos Aires is the largest and most populous province of Argentina. It takes the name from the city of Buenos Aires, which used to be the provincial capital until it was federalized in 1880...
, Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, on the western shore of the Paraná River
Paraná River
The Paraná River is a river in south Central South America, running through Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina for some . It is second in length only to the Amazon River among South American rivers. The name Paraná is an abbreviation of the phrase "para rehe onáva", which comes from the Tupi language...
, 61 km from Rosario
Rosario
Rosario is the largest city in the province of Santa Fe, Argentina. It is located northwest of Buenos Aires, on the western shore of the Paraná River and has 1,159,004 residents as of the ....
. It has about 138,000 inhabitants . It is the head town of the partido
Partido
A partido is an administrative subdivision of the . They are formally considered to be a single municipality, and usually contain one or more population centers...
of the same name. It is sometimes called Ciudad de María (City of Mary) of a series of Marian apparitions recorded since the 1970s.
History
San Nicolás de los Arroyos was founded on 14 April 1748 by Rafael de Aguiar, who gave it its name to honour Saint Nicholas of BariBari
Bari is the capital city of the province of Bari and of the Apulia region, on the Adriatic Sea, in Italy. It is the second most important economic centre of mainland Southern Italy after Naples, and is well known as a port and university city, as well as the city of Saint Nicholas...
, now patron of the city.
The closeness to the border between Buenos Aires and two other large provinces made the city a natural stage for the struggle between federalist
Federales (Argentina)
Federales was the name under which the supporters of federalism in Argentina were known, opposing the Unitarios that claimed a centralised government of Buenos Aires Province, with no participation of the other provinces of the custom taxes benefits of the Buenos Aires port...
and Unitarians
Unitarian Party
Unitarianists or Unitarians were the proponents of the concept of a Unitary state in Buenos Aires during the civil wars which shortly followed the Declaration of Independence of Argentina in 1816. They were opposed to the Argentine Federalists, who wanted a federation of independent provinces...
forces in mid-19th century. The agreement between thirteen provinces on 31 May 1852, which ratified the Federal Pact
Pacto Federal
The Federal Pact was a treaty first signed by the Argentine provinces of Buenos Aires, Entre Ríos and Santa Fe on 4 January 1831, for which a Federal military alliance was created to confront the Unitarian Liga Unitaria...
and called for a Constitutional
Constitution of Argentina
The constitution of Argentina is one of the primary sources of existing law in Argentina. Its first version was written in 1853 by a Constitutional Assembly gathered in Santa Fe, and the doctrinal basis was taken in part from the United States Constitution...
Assembly sponsored by Justo José de Urquiza
Justo José de Urquiza
Justo José de Urquiza y García was an Argentine general and politician. He was president of the Argentine Confederation from 1854 to 1860.He was governor of Entre Ríos during the government of Juan Manuel de Rosas, governor of Buenos Aires with powers delegated from the other provinces...
, was signed in this town, and became known as Acuerdo de San Nicolás de los Arroyos
San Nicolás Agreement
The San Nicolás Agreement was a pact signed on May 31, 1852 and subscribed by all but one of the 14 provinces of the United Provinces of the River Plate . The treaty consisted of 19 articles, and its goal was to set the bases for the national organization of the young Argentine state...
.
Geography
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
City, within the so-called Industrial Corridor that goes from Greater Rosario
Greater Rosario
Greater Rosario is the metropolitan area of the city of Rosario, in the province of Santa Fe, Argentina. This metropolis has a population of about 1.5 million , thus being Argentina's second most populated urban settlement, after Buenos Aires....
to La Plata
La Plata
La Plata is the capital city of the Province of Buenos Aires, Argentina, and of La Plata partido. According to the , the city proper has a population of 574,369 and its metropolitan area has 694,253 inhabitants....
. Its limits are: to the west, Pergamino
Pergamino Partido
Pergamino Partido is a partido located in the north of Buenos Aires Province in Argentina.The provincial subdivision has a population of about 100,000 inhabitants in an area of 2,950km², and its capital city is Pergamino, which is located around 225km from Buenos Aires.-Settlements:*23 Districts...
; to the south, Ramallo
Ramallo Partido
Ramallo is a partido located in the far north of Buenos Aires Province in Argentina.The provincial subdivision has a population of about 29,000 inhabitants in an area of 1,040km², and its capital city is Ramallo, which is located around 250 km from Buenos Aires.-Ramallo massacre:On September...
; to the east, with the Paraná River, which separates it from the province of Entre Ríos
Entre Ríos Province
Entre Ríos is a northeastern province of Argentina, located in the Mesopotamia region. It borders the provinces of Buenos Aires , Corrientes and Santa Fe , and Uruguay in the east....
; and to the north, with the Arroyo del Medio
Arroyo del Medio
The Arroyo del Medio is a small river of Argentina, located on the border between the provinces of Buenos Aires and Santa Fe. Its catchment basin comprises about 3,200 km². The Arroyo empties into the Paraná River at the city of San Nicolás de los Arroyos, Buenos Aires, opposite the Constitución...
, a small river that separates it from the province of Santa Fe
Santa Fe Province
The Invincible Province of Santa Fe, in Spanish Provincia Invencible de Santa Fe , is a province of Argentina, located in the center-east of the country. Neighboring provinces are from the north clockwise Chaco , Corrientes, Entre Ríos, Buenos Aires, Córdoba, and Santiago del Estero...
.
Its main accesses are in the north-south axis: the Rosario-Buenos Aires Highway
National Route 9 (Argentina)
National Route 9 is a major road in Argentina, which runs from the center-east to the northwest of the country, crossing the provinces of Buenos Aires, Santa Fe, Córdoba, Santiago del Estero, Tucumán, Salta and Jujuy...
, and the Nuevo Central Argentino
Nuevo Central Argentino
Nuevo Central Argentino S. A. is an Argentine company that exploits the operation and infrastructure of the national railway system of the former Ferrocarril General Bartolomé Mitre division of Ferrocarriles Argentinos, by a concession granted on 23 December 1992 as part of railway privatisation...
railroad.
San Nicolás has an important port
Port of San Nicolás de los Arroyos
The Port of San Nicolás de los Arroyos is a port on the western shore of the lower course of the Paraná River in Argentina, located in the jurisdiction of the city of San Nicolás de los Arroyos, Buenos Aires Province...
on the Paraná, able to service large cargo ships. The railway system has passenger and cargo stations, the latter reaching up to the port.
Education
Cultural life
Among the many libraries in the city, the oldest and largest is the Rafael de Aguiar Popular Library
Biblioteca Popular Rafael de Aguiar
The Biblioteca Popular "Rafael de Aguiar is a public library created in 1947 by Juana Couretot de Guella and officially inaugurated in 1948 in honor of the founder of San Nicolás de los Arroyos...
, founded in 1947 by Juana Couretot de Guella.
Notable natives
- Health Minister Ginés González GarcíaGinés González GarcíaGinés González García is a medical doctor and was the Minister of Health and Environment of Argentina during the administrations of Presidents Eduardo Duhalde and Néstor Kirchner.-Career:...
http://www.msal.gov.ar/htm/site/est_ministeriob.asp - Journalist and short story writer Manuel PeyrouManuel PeyrouManuel Peyrou was an Argentine writer and journalist.-Life and work:Peyrou was born in San Nicolás de los Arroyos in 1902...
(1902–1974) http://www.me.gov.ar/efeme/index.html?mes=1&dia=1 - Revolutionary and guerrilla leader Enrique Gorriarán MerloEnrique Gorriarán MerloEnrique Haroldo Gorriarán Merlo was an Argentine guerrilla insurgency leader, born in San Nicolás de los Arroyos, Buenos Aires Province....
(1942–2006) - Members of the folk music band Los Arroyeños http://www.losarroyenos.com.ar/
- Football player Leo Franco
- Former football players Héctor BaleyHéctor BaleyHéctor Rodolfo Baley is a former Argentine football goalkeeper.Baley was a reserve goalkeeper in Argentina's 1978 FIFA World Cup winning squad and also in the 1982 tournament...
, Patricio HernándezPatricio HernándezPatricio Hernández is an Argentine football coach and former player.Hernández started his career in 1974 at Estudiantes de La Plata, a club that he would later manage. He soon earned a reputation as a skillful attacking midfielder, with a very precise shot. He was transferred to Italian team...
, Rubén PagnaniniRubén PagnaniniRubén Oscar Pagnanini is an Argentine former football player who played for the Argentina national team....
, Omar SivoriOmar SivoriEnrique Omar Sívori was an Italian Argentine football striker and manager. He is known for his time with the successful Juventus side during the late 1950s and early 1960s. At club level he also played for River Plate and Napoli.On the international level, he first appeared for the Argentine...
, Andrés GuglielminpietroAndrés GuglielminpietroAndrés Guglielminpietro , nicknamed Guly, is a former Argentine football player. A midfielder, he has been capped for the Argentina national football team, and represented his country at the Copa América 1999.His career reached its peak at the Italian club A.C...
, Nelson VivasNelson VivasNelson David Vivas is a former professional Argentine football player, who played primarily as right-back.-Career in Argentina:...
and Bruno MarioniBruno MarioniBruno Marioni is a retired Argentine striker.- Career :Marioni made his debut under the last name Giménez for Newell's Old Boys in 1995 before moving to Estudiantes in 1997. After 2 seasons in Argentina, Marioni went to Portugal joining Sporting in 1998...