Argentina in Depth - Argentina - page 8

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Argentina in Depth

Argentina is a nation that once was among the wealthiest in the world.
It long reigned as the preeminent power on the South American continent. Every build-
ing in Buenos Aires, every legend emerging fr om the Pampas, every abandoned church
in the missions, overgrown with vines, tells of this v ast country's glorious past. Even the
faces on the str eets of Argentina 's cities ar e a r eflection of a histor y full of accidents,
desires, and the sheer force of a nation's will to shape itself and its per ception within the
outside world.

1 ARGENTINA TODAY

Cristina Kir chner's term as pr esident has
been anything but boring. Early on she
picked a fight (egged on b y her husband)
with the powerful farmers' unions that led
to road blockades and fuel shor tages and
much antigo vernment sentiment. R un-
away inflation saw prices rise 30%, though
government statistics insisted it r emained
at 7%, discr editing the administration
further. The farmers' crisis came to a head
when congress split evenly in two, and the
deciding v ote of the vice pr esident, Julio
Cobos (a supposed ally of the Kir chners),
dramatically sided with the farmers. S ince
then, the deep global recession has affected
exports, despite a w eakening peso . S ome
hard times are expected ahead, with many
questioning Argentina 's ability to ser vice

its huge foreign debt. Cristina's popularity
rating is extr emely low, and it is expected
that her husband will attempt to retake the
reins at the next election in 2011, which is
probably what he planned all along.
Despite the clouds on the horiz on,

nobody is expecting the chaos of 2002,
when police shot pr otestors on the str eet.
Argentina is certainly a more stable coun-
try, and the fact that you hold this topic in
your hand means y ou are one example of
the millions who hav e come to Argentina
as a guest, eager to experience its rich,
diverse culture and excellent quality of life.
The countr y is no w celebrating its

200-year-old existence, and a ne w era in
the nation's history has begun.

2 LOOKING BACK AT ARGENTINA

SETTLEMENT &
COLONIALIZATION
Well before the arriv al of E uropeans, sev-
eral distinct indigenous gr oups populated
the area now called Argentina. The Incas
had made inr oads into the highlands of
the N orthwest. M ost other gr oups w ere
nomadic hunters and fishers, such as those

in the Chaco, the Tehuelche of Patagonia,
and the Q uerandí and P uelche (Guenna-
kin) of the Pampas. Others (the Diaguitas,
of the N orthwest) dev eloped stationar y
agriculture. The Mapuche Indians, a war-
rior tribe based at the v ery bottom of
Patagonia in both Argentina and Chile,
were the only I ndian tribe nev er con-
quered by the Spanish.