The names of the streets of Buenos Aires:
a biased point of view of history
If history is written by winners, it appears that the names of the streets of Buenos Aires as well. Emerged in the aftermath of the defeat of the federal to the unit, in the bid for the definition of a model for national hegemony "in the second half of the nineteenth century the names of the streets of Buenos Aires foreshadow a biased point of view of history. Military lawyers, political battles: more than two thousand names scattered throughout the City but with great absences and forgotten figures. And while talk of federal individual and is a simplification that ignores many nuances and interests crusaders, the truth is that the names of leaders, warlords and federal battles were erased at a stroke when naming the Capital arteries.
"The Buenos Aires is a very questionable street with very gerous absences and presences. The triumph of the unit, then renamed liberal, was a triumph without forgiveness, without amnesty. As shown in the official history, it is evident intended to denigrate and leave opponents, "says a writer and historian Clarín Mario" Pacho "O'Donnell.
Who were these big missing? "For example, O'Donnell says there are streets bearing the name of federal leaders who deserve: Estanislao López, Francisco Ramirez, Juan Bautista Bustos, Alejandro Heredia, Chacho Peñaloza, Felipe Varela. That is an injustice, because in addition characters of our history were also important in the War of Independence, put the body in battle. There is a street Quiroga, and of course there Rosas street, beyond which is a figure on which you can argue a lot. "
The writer recalls the conflict that broke out when he proposed to give the name of Rose Avenue to a section of the avenue Sarmiento, between the monument to the English and Plaza Italia. "A section of the street where nobody lives. The idea was that it crossed Sarmiento, Roses and Libertador San Martin," but met with considerable controversy, it was much discussed and not approved. "
deserve a special mention a few statues of the city, including the monument in the Plaza Lavalle, the same name, face courts-or that of Sarmiento, in Palermo. And while O'Donnell explains that he does not propose changing the street names because these projects generally do not have the support of neighbors, it questions the place where they are located in the City some monuments. "Among other atrocities, imposing change the location of the monument to Lavalle, that aberrant attitude was erected in front of the solar Dorrego. It follows with insulting the memory of that great patriot, Dorrego, and Lavalle itself, whose greatest merit was not to shoot Dorrego but have been a brave cavalry leader who was brilliant command of San Martín and Bolívar " O'Donnell said.
The other statue is questioned by the historian of Domingo Faustino Sarmiento, a wonderful full body sculpture by French artist Auguste Rodin, and is half hidden in the bushes of Palermo, at the monument of the English . "unusual is search for locations where Rosas's bedroom was "says O'Donnell, in the house that was later flown on 3 February 1899, precisely on the anniversary of the Battle of Caseros. But they had to do a research to locate the room where Rose was. As in the case of Dorrego and Lavalle, that denigrates both Rosas and Sarmiento. This circumstance gave rise to an ironic comment on Aurelia Velez, Sarmiento's lover, who upon learning she wrote to a friend: 'poor Domingo Faustino, to eternity in bed with a tyrant'. "
streets are questioned. "The streets should not be, those who do not deserve a street, such as Manuel Garcia, who became a traitor to the Fatherland that at the request of Rivadavia and complying with the wishes of Britain handed over the Banda Oriental to Brazil, even though they had defeated in the battles of Ituzaingó and Juncal "says O'Donnell." We must do some of these changes, it would be a space of reconciliation needed and would close an open wound that continues to fester, "he concludes.
Another historian who has analyzed the meaning of the names of the streets of the city, Eduardo Lazzari, remember that was an ordinance of 1893-and an additional Ordinance 1904 - which established the names and rearranged throughout the city, "given that the names were repeated, as were three different cities: Buenos Aires itself (was federalized in 1880), San José de Flores and Belgrano. And in this reorganization the old limits were met: that is why the names change names in some avenues. The City is divided into six sites, so the streets are renamed in the streets Rivadavia, La Plata, Caseros, Constituents, Dorrego and Warnes. "What is that idea to put names to the streets?
"On one hand-hold Lazzari-delete the discussion of history, a boom of liberal historiography, led by Bartolomé Mitre and Vicente Fidel López, who ignored the conflict between unitary and federal pulling to the feds. "In turn, he adds, is respected some names that Buenos Aires was built in the civil war, where perhaps the most brutal is the station September 11, recalling the revolution that separated Buenos Confederate Aires on 11 September 1852. Even some names, such as Vicente Lopez Street, should be Vicente López y Planes, to make it clear that it is the writer of the hymn and governor of the province of Buenos Aires, who signed the agreement of St. Nicholas, and also Rosas was official. But he left only Vicente López, which is mistaken for the son who is one of the paradigms of historians liberals.
What are the major excluded from this story?
"The most noticeable are the absence of federal leaders and the absence of women, partially saved with the streets of Puerto Madero. Or the presence of the square Aramburu, taxes and names that were not discussed in the Legislature, "Lazzari said." There are also those that persist in the memory beyond the changes. People keep talking about the street-now Canning Scalabrini Ortiz. Canning was British prime minister who recognized the independence of Argentina, but its name was changed. "
O'Donnell
As you remember," in countries more civilized not accepted the streets are named after battles between brothers. "But most of the Buenos Aires streets bearing names of battles, 76 in total, account for the most part of these internal clashes historical trenches opened Buenos Aires and the rest of the country. Suffice it to get away from the city, go to La Matanza for example, to find an avenue Rosas.
By: Silvana Boschi
Source: http:/ / www.clarin.com/diario/2009/09/06/sociedad/s-01993064.htm
