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Argentina History Colonial Beginnings
http://workmall.com/wfb2001/argentina/argentina_history_colonial_beginnings.html
Source: Argentina National Department of Culture
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After the first travels by Columbus, in 1492, there were new expeditions. One of them, led by Amerigo Vespucci, in 1502, was responsible for the Spaniards' first encounter with the lands which would later become the Argentine territory. By that time, this area of the south was inhabited by different groups of indigenous peoples, who were mostly nomadic.
A short time afterwards, in 1516, in a failed attempt to find a passage connecting the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean, Juan Díaz de Solís had to end his expedition near the banks of Plata River. It was in these lands that Solís found his death by the Indians. Sebastián Gaboto, his successor, arrived with a new expedition sent by the Spanish King, Charles V.
Gaboto established the first Spanish settlement, Fort Sancti Spiritu, in 1527.
In 1534, the conquest was left in the hands of Pedro de Mendoza, thanks to an agreement signed with Charles V. Two years later, Nuestra Señora del Buen Ayre was founded near the banks of Plata River.
After Mendoza's death in Spain and the dismantlement of Nuestra Señora del Buen Ayre by the Indians, the Spanish Capital was moved in 1541 to Asuncion, Paraguay.
The definitive founding of Buenos Aires took place in 1580, by Juan de Garay, who in turn colonized most of the Argentine territory.
The governorship was divided into two intendances in 1617, Asunción and Buenos Aires. From then on, different governors succeeded and the missionary activity became stronger. The rivalry between Spain and Portugal about the American colonies increased.
Meanwhile, after the establishment of the Virreinato del Río de la Plata in 1776, these lands began to stand out as a political and economic unit of some relevance, a fact which did not pass unnoticed for British eyes. Furthermore, the decline of the Spanish empire brought about the attempted invasions by England in 1806 and 1807. Nevertheless, the sudden English attack ended in failure thanks to the strong resistance by the natives, who had begun to feel that these lands were their own.
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NOTE: The information regarding Argentina on this page is re-published from Argentina's National Department of Culture. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Argentina History information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Argentina History should be addressed to the National Department of Culture.
