Foundation.
The foundation of the city of Córdoba had as a precedent the order that in 1571 the viceroy of Peru, Francisco Álvarez de Toledo, gave to the newly appointed governor of Tucumán, Jerónimo Luis de Cabrera - who until that moment had served the Spanish royal army - entrusting him to populate and found in the valley of Salta in the part and place that seemed best suited to him, a town of Spaniards so that one could enter these kingdoms of Peru. to these provinces without the risk and danger that up until now, and from them go out to these kingdoms to contract and market.
When Cabrera left Potosí, in July 1572, he had to choose between following the viceroy's clear directives or abiding by the will of Francisco de Aguirre "Francisco de Aguirre (conqueror)")—who had been governor of Tucumán and also the founder of the city Santiago del Estero—and who urged him to continue the plan of conquest of the south. Cabrera chose the latter. The conquest expedition, of more than a hundred men, entered the territory that was inhabited by the Comechingones aborigines, who lived in communities called ayllus and found a river that Cabrera called San Juan —today Suquía—, since on June 24 the Church commemorates San Juan the Baptist.
Cabrera founded Córdoba on July 6, 1573 with the name Córdoba de la Nueva Andalucía, possibly in homage to his wife's ancestors, natives of the Spanish homonymous "Córdoba (Spain)"). The foundation was carried out on the left bank of the river, in a place called Quisquisacate, a name given by the Indians to the confluence of two rivers, in what are today the ravines of the Yapeyú neighborhood), northeast of the current central area. In the same act, he had the founding act drawn up by the notary Francisco de Torres and determined the coat of arms of the city.[37].
Cabrera sought two objectives. One of them was to have an exit to "La Mar del Nord", that is, to the Atlantic Ocean, since he believed that the Mar Chiquita lagoon "Mar Chiquita (Córdoba)") was a bay of this ocean; and he also tried to found another city on the banks of the Paraná River.[38] The second objective was the fabulous City of the Caesars.
According to data from the Historical Archive, four years after the city was founded, in 1577, the authorities, once the aborigines had withdrawn, decided to move Córdoba to the southern bank of the Suquía or Primero River, and the then Lieutenant Governor Don Lorenzo Suárez de Figueroa "Lorenzo Suárez de Figueroa (conquistador)") drew the first plan of the city, of seventy square blocks. The document describes a city ten blocks long and seven blocks wide. In the image you can see that the lots were divided into four. This applied to the neighbors, since the lands of the religious orders were not divided.[39].
In 1580 the construction of the Córdoba Cathedral "Catedral de Córdoba (Argentina)") began, completed in 1758. In 1599 the religious order of the Society of Jesus was installed and in this way Córdoba became the central point of evangelization tasks of the Jesuit fathers in South America.[40].
The religious of the Society of Jesus founded, in 1608, a novitiate and, in 1610, the College Máximo from which the University of Córdoba, the current National University of Córdoba, the fourth oldest in America, derived in 1613.[41] In 1622 the Dry Customs began to operate.[37].
In 1623, the first known overflow of the La Cañada stream occurred, a situation that forced the construction of the defense known as the Calicanto in 1671, of which today only a small vestige remains on the corner of the streets Belgrano&action=edit&redlink=1 "Calle Belgrano (Córdoba) (not yet written)") and Bulevar San Juan "Bulevar San Juan (Córdoba)"), Güemes neighborhood "Güemes neighborhood (Córdoba)").[42].
In 1671 the church of the Company of Jesus was consecrated. Then, in 1687, Ignacio Duarte y Quirós founded the National College of Monserrat.[43] During the so-called first period (1687-1767), the College was governed by Jesuit priests.[43] Already in 1699, Córdoba was promoted to the seat of the bishopric of Tucumán. In this way, the city was the administrative, religious and educational center of the region.[37].
According to an act of the town council, the provincial population amounted, in January 1760, to 22,000 inhabitants, of which 1,500 were Spanish and the rest were divided into mestizos, mulattos and black "Negro (person)").[44] It is presumed that the population was larger, given the difficulties in carrying out the census.
In 1776, King Carlos III created the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata, in which Córdoba was, in 1785, the capital of the Municipality of Córdoba del Tucumán, comprising the current territories of the provinces of Córdoba "Province of Córdoba (Argentina)"), La Rioja "Province of La Rioja (Argentina)") and the region of Cuyo.
In November 1784, Rafael de Sobremonte arrived in Córdoba after being appointed governor-intendant of the Municipality of Córdoba del Tucumán.[Note 1][Note 2] The governor-intendant was the second hierarchy after the viceroy. That same year he issued the police regulations, creating six barracks that decentralized the city. He dealt with begging and caring for minors, among other things. He carried out public works such as parks and promenades, expanded the council's dungeons, had the streets illuminated with 113 tallow candle lanterns that were lit on moonless nights, built the first bridge over the La Cañada stream (today 27 de Abril Street), regulated, among others, the guilds of silversmiths, blacksmiths, bricklayers, carpenters, painters, tailors "Tailor (trade)"), shoemakers "Cobbler (profession)"), musicians and barbers and installed America's first running water system.
In 1806, during the English invasions, Viceroy Rafael de Sobremonte returned to Córdoba where he established the interim capital of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata. In twenty days he gathered an important contingent and sent it to Montevideo to repel the invasion of said city, an objective not achieved.
During the patriotic era, in 1821 a provisional regulation was issued that facilitated immigration. According to the 1822 census, the city had 11,552 inhabitants.
On June 29, 1829, one of the two battles that pitted General José María Paz against the Riojan leader "Province of La Rioja (Argentina)") Facundo Quiroga occurred in Córdoba.
At the beginning of the 1830s, there were acts of revenge and outrages caused by Pascual Echagüe's Santa Fe rioters, stationed in the city after the fall of General Paz. During that entire decade the province would be politically convulsed. At that time, Córdoba had a Customs House and Mint, both of which began to operate from 1844 in a building on the current General Paz Street. The Mint was closed by Justo José de Urquiza in 1855.
In April 1854, the Córdoba government declared the Universidad Mayor and the Colegio de Monserrat as national and as such subject to the national government and under its immediate dependence and direction. In 1856 the National Congress ratified it and established that the funds for its operation would come from the National Treasury.
According to the 1869 census, the province had 210,508 inhabitants. On May 18, 1870, the section to Rosario "Rosario (Argentina)") of the Argentine Central Railway (later General Bartolomé Mitre) was inaugurated. That same year Agustín Garzón founded the San Vicente town (today the "Barrio San Vicente (Córdoba)" neighborhood). In 1871, the Astronomical Observatory of Córdoba was inaugurated, in charge of the American astronomer Benjamín Apthorp Gould, brought to the country two years earlier by President Domingo Faustino Sarmiento.
In 1876 the railway to San Miguel de Tucumán was inaugurated. The then president Nicolás Avellaneda, a native of said city, made the first trip that left from the La Garita station, on the outskirts of the city. In July 1878 the city's first tram line was inaugurated. It linked the center with the General Paz neighborhood "Barrio General Paz (Córdoba)"). The service was provided by the Tramway Company of the City of Córdoba.
On January 1, 1881, the municipal civil registry began to operate, the oldest in the country. The first registered marriage dates from January 27.[45].
In 1883, a reform was made to the provincial constitution, inspired by the work of Filemón Posse. One of the changes was at the municipal level since the figure of the mayor and the Deliberative Council "Deliberative Council of the City of Córdoba (Argentina)") were created, as executive and legislative bodies respectively. The first mayor of the city was Juan Manuel La Serna followed in 1887 by Luis Revol.
In 1886, Miguel Crisol presented the most important urban project for the city of Córdoba, after several centuries of foundation. It included the clearing, leveling and embankment of the ravines to the south and the lower lands of the river, which imprisoned it, not allowing its expansion or urban growth. This is how the attractive Nueva Córdoba neighborhood was born, among other benefits that still exist.
The first cadastral survey of the city dates back to 1889 and was carried out by the surveyor Ángel Machado, obtaining the existing limits and demarcations with their improvements (Later, in 1940, the first measurement and marking of the municipal ejido and the creation of the plot plans, documents that represented the individual shape of each block of the city and its parcel division, would be carried out).[46]
Towards the end of the century, the Italian architect Francesco Tamburini (designer of the Teatro Colón "Teatro Colón (Buenos Aires)") and in charge of the completion of the Casa Rosada), would stand out with the designs of the headquarters of the Banco de Córdoba and the Libertador San Martín theater (initially Teatro Nuevo and later Rivera Indarte). In this period, President Domingo Faustino Sarmiento would create the National Academy of Sciences "National Academy of Sciences (Córdoba)"). These works forever changed the appearance of the Cordoban microcenter.
Between the years 1889 and 1911, Sarmiento Park (Córdoba) "Parque Sarmiento (Córdoba)") was designed and created, the largest in the city, and one of the oldest in South America. It was designed by the architect and landscape designer Carlos Thays. Located in the Nueva Córdoba neighborhood, it is an important green lung and center for recreational and cultural activities, with museums, spaces for events, and gastronomic options.
At the beginning of the century the city had 90,000 inhabitants. Córdoba had changed its appearance considerably since it had new avenues, diagonals, promenades and squares. To the traditional neighborhoods or towns that existed such as Alberdi "Barrio Alberdi (Córdoba)"), San Vicente "Barrio San Vicente (Córdoba)"), Güemes "Barrio Güemes (Córdoba)") and General Paz "Barrio General Paz (Córdoba)") were added Alta Córdoba around the railway, and Nueva Córdoba connected to the center through the newly made Argentina Avenue, today Hipólito Yrigoyen.
Among the problems of the time were poverty, illiteracy and high infant mortality. Epidemics of typhoid fever, influenza, bubonic plague, smallpox and tuberculosis were recurrent due to the scarcity of water, and public baths were the only possibility for hygiene. Another problem was the health infrastructure, since the city had only one hospital, San Roque"). The La Cañada stream "La Cañada (city of Córdoba)") presented another building problem, with its frequent floods. The largest occurred on the night of January 15, 1939, when its waters overflowed and flooded the entire downtown area. As a result of this event, the works to channel the stream began, which ended in 1944 and gave it its current appearance.
In 1918 Córdoba was the epicenter of a reformist movement known as the University Reform "University Reform (Argentina)"), which later spread to the rest of the universities in the country, much of America and Spain.
In 1927 the Military Aircraft Factory (FMA) was inaugurated in Córdoba. Until his arrival, Córdoba had not had the important industrial flourishing derived from import substitution, which had made the Buenos Aires suburbs grow considerably. Manufacturing increased and was among the best in the world in the 1940s, after World War II, with the arrival of German technicians. Among his most notable achievements is the Pulqui airplane.
Starting in 1952, the Military Aircraft Factory began to diversify its production. What was done was to establish, on the basis of the old Aerotechnical Institute, the state company Industrias Aeronáuticas y Mecánicas del Estado (IAME), which dedicated itself to the manufacture of engines, automobiles (the remembered Graciela Institec") and the Rastrojero), Puma motorcycles "Puma (motorcycle)"), boats and sailboats, parachutes, various machinery and tools.[47].
This factory, due to its transcendent actions, became the cornerstone of the country's heavy industry. Just three years after its creation, the IAME employed around 10,000 people, most of them specialized technicians, and at its peak it employed more than 50% of the workforce employed by all of Córdoba's dynamic industries. Furthermore, his work as an agent promoting manufacturing activity was notable, since he provided young and inexperienced industrialists with technical help, advice, laboratories and encouraged mass production and the use of industrial processes to replace artisanal work. An important productive branch of the IAME was represented by the manufacture of El Pampa tractors.[47].
In 1955, the American corporation Industrias Kaiser Argentina (IKA) settled in the city following the national opening to foreign capital and through a contract with the IAME. IKA became the largest mass-produced automobile factory in the country, with 300,000 vehicles produced in less than a decade.[47].
The profound transformation that the city (and the province in general) had with the factory establishments can be verified with some statistical data. In 1943 there were 5,311 manufacturing establishments employing 37,649 people, in 1954 there were more than 15,000 employing 67,599 people. The installed automotive power in 1943 was less than 196,000 HP, rising to around 380,000 in 1954.
The province, according to the 1947 census, had almost 1,500,000 inhabitants, of which around 25% lived in the capital. After the industrial settlements, entire families moved to the city, making Córdoba the most inhabited city after Buenos Aires. In addition, the average salary increased, which translated into an increase in consumption that benefited other branches of economic activity.
The self-proclaimed Liberating Revolution "Liberating Revolution (Argentina)"), which overthrew the government of Juan Domingo Perón, began in Córdoba on September 16, 1955. From the city, General Eduardo Lonardi commanded the operations and declared it the provisional capital of the republic. There were clashes in the Alta Córdoba neighborhood, in the area surrounding the Belgrano Railway station, between the rebels and loyal troops, shootouts in front of the historic town hall and other skirmishes such as that of the civil commands that took key points of the city. Radio LV2 was renamed The Voice of Liberty and broadcast the revolutionary proclamation. After several hours of siege, the police headquarters, the improvised headquarters of the provincial government, fell. Loyal troops marched towards Córdoba but did not attack, since on the 19th of that month Perón resigned as president of the Nation.
In 1963, 47.7% of the employed factory personnel were from the city's automotive sector. This generated a strong urbanization process that had been increasing since the previous decade. This immigration was distributed mainly in the southern area of the ejido, thus new neighborhoods appeared.
In May 1969, Cordobazo took place, a rebellion led by students and workers, and whose highest moment was on the 29th of that month. It had a clear anti-dictatorial meaning and was accompanied by the general population.
The 1970s were turbulent. In the years prior to the military coup of 1976 there were persecutions within the University and acts such as the blowing up of the printing plant of the newspaper La Voz del Interior in January 1975. The editorial of March 15 stated "Córdoba is a city humiliated and saddened by so much violence, by so many useless deaths, by so many missing persons, by so much fear. Living has become the most basic aspiration of the people of Córdoba." After the civil-military coup calling itself the National Reorganization Process, which occurred on March 24, 1976, the violence worsened even more. Córdoba was the scene of the same illegalities as the rest of the country. Among the clandestine centers of illegitimate deprivation of liberty "Clandestine detention center (Argentina)"), La Perla stands out "La Perla (detention center)"), on the side of the route to Villa Carlos Paz, Campo de la Rivera") in the fifth section and the Information Division of the Provincial Police in the Santa Catalina passage, in the center of the city. Although there is no precise data, it is estimated that they only passed through La Perla 2000 people between 1976 and 1979.
In 1978 Argentina organized the Soccer World Cup, where Córdoba was one of its venues. For this event, the Chateau Carreras Stadium (today called Mario Alberto Kempes Stadium) was built.
The Argentine economy and in particular industrial activity began to show a sustained decline. Already in the constitutional government of Raúl Alfonsín, in the midst of instability, financial problems and growing inflation, stabilizing policies strongly discouraged industrial activities. This activity is undergoing a regressive restructuring process. It is estimated that its participation in GDP fell by 8%. The manufacture of machines, tools and tractors was around a quarter and automobiles less than half.[48] Córdoba was slowly losing its industrial weight.
In 2000, the historic Jesuit Block was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. After the serious crisis of 2001/2002 that the country suffered, Córdoba has reemerged again as an important industrial hub in Argentina.
In 2006 Córdoba was declared the American Capital of Culture of that year.[49].
In the early morning of December 3, 2013, a hundred police officers from the Province of Córdoba were quartered due to salary disagreements. During the day, the garrisoned troops increased, and when night came, with the city unprotected and liberated, lack of control and vandalism took over the streets of the capital, causing looting and robberies in most of the businesses and supermarkets in various neighborhoods. This caused neighbors and part of the community to begin to form barrels and defend their businesses with firearms, causing lynchings and confrontations. At noon on December 4, 2013, and after 35 hours of violence, looting and destruction, Governor José Manuel de la Sota announced an agreement with the stationed police, who returned to patrol the streets, putting an end to one of the most tragic moments in the history of Córdoba. The events that occurred on December 3 and 4, 2013 left 1 dead, more than 300 injured, 1,000 premises looted, dozens of detainees and million-dollar losses of more than 400 million pesos. Starting in 2014 and by approval of the provincial legislature, "Reunion Day" is commemorated every December 4, to reflect on the events that occurred.[50][51].