Tandil
Encyclopedia
- Tandil can refer also to a spider genus, and a German detergent.
Place name
Mapuche
The Mapuche are a group of indigenous inhabitants of south-central Chile and southwestern Argentina. They constitute a wide-ranging ethnicity composed of various groups who shared a common social, religious and economic structure, as well as a common linguistic heritage. Their influence extended...
words tan ("falling"), and lil ("rock"). It is probably a reference to the Piedra Movediza ("Moving Stone"), a large boulder which stood seemingly miraculously balanced on the edge of a rocky foothill. The Moving Stone toppled on February 29, 1912, and split into two pieces at the bottom of the hill. Some people thought that tan in fact meant "moving". In order to demonstrate the slight movements of the boulder, it was common practice to place bottles or some other things under its base to see them break.
As of May 2007, a replica was set up in the same place where the original stood. Although the replica was made by engineering students, it is cemented in place and does not teeter the way the original did. It is a "moving rock" that does not move.
History
Between that year and 1875, the native aborigins (Pamas and Ranqueles) defended from European usurpation, the invaders thinking they would not pose a threat.
With the annihilation and expulsion of the original inhabitants during a campaign labelled the "Conquest of the Desert
Conquest of the Desert
The Conquest of the Desert was a military campaign directed mainly by General Julio Argentino Roca in the 1870s, which established Argentine dominance over Patagonia, which was inhabited by indigenous peoples...
", the European presence became stronger in Tandil, which received a large number of immigrants from various countries in Europe.
The vast majority of immigrants came from Spain and Italy but also Basque
Basque people
The Basques as an ethnic group, primarily inhabit an area traditionally known as the Basque Country , a region that is located around the western end of the Pyrenees on the coast of the Bay of Biscay and straddles parts of north-central Spain and south-western France.The Basques are known in the...
and Danish people settled, the latter constituting a very active community.
Tandil was designated a city in 1895 and became a popular tourist destination attracting people from Buenos Aires
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...
, other parts of the country and also from abroad.
The Piedra Movediza fell down in 1912 and split in two below. Although it is impossible after the fact to ascertain the reason it fell, it is very possible that the delicately balanced rock was thrown off balance by the common practice of placing glass bottles under it and watching them explode. This was the way the locals would prove to visitors that the rock, in fact, moved, since the movement was too subtle to be detected by the naked eye. There have been projects to restore the rock, and a replica stone was placed where the original used to be. Other similar stones like El Centinela are also attractions, but none has the truly astonishing quality of teetering ever so slowly like the "moving rock" once did. . This made easier the creation of other touring places like Sierra del Tigre or Monte Calvario.
National University of Central Buenos Aires
The National University of Central Buenos Aires (Universidad Nacional del Centro de Buenos Aires) is a public institution of higher learningEducation in Argentina
Education in Argentina is a responsibility shared by the national government, the provinces and federal district and private institutions, though basic guidelines have historically been set by the Ministry of Education...
located in Tandil. It was founded in 1974 as part of University of Buenos Aires
University of Buenos Aires
The University of Buenos Aires is the largest university in Argentina and the largest university by enrollment in Latin America. Founded on August 12, 1821 in the city of Buenos Aires, it consists of 13 faculties, 6 hospitals, 10 museums and is linked to 4 high schools: Colegio Nacional de Buenos...
Professor Alberto Taquini
Alberto Taquini
Alberto Carlos Taquini is an Argentine biochemist and academic whose "Taquini Plan" resulted in the decentralization of Argentina's public university system.-Life and work:...
's plan to geographically diversify Argentina's National University system.
Established with the unification of a private school and a campus of the National University of the South
National University of the South
The National Southern University is the largest national university in southern Argentina. Its motto is Ardua Veritatem, which means "truth is obtained by effort"....
, with more than 11,000 students, the university includes 10 schools offering 21 undergraduate, 58 graduate, and 19 post-graduate degrees. It maintains secondary campuses in Azul
Azul, Buenos Aires
Azul is the head city of the Azul Partido, located at the center of the Buenos Aires Province in Argentina, 300 km south of Buenos Aires. It has 63,000 inhabitants as per the ....
and Olavarría
Olavarría
Olavarría is a city in the province of Buenos Aires, Argentina, located. It is the capital of the Olavarría Partido and has over 111,320 inhabitants, per the ....
.
Notable natives
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