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National Geographic : 1967 Nov
Contents
the countryside-elite, suburban San Isidro; Acassuso and its U. S. colony; and Hurling ham, where British settlers created a bit of Old England (map, page 665, right). At my feetthe Plaza del Congreso spread a fountained base to the capitol building (pages 662-3). Four city blocks were razed and the square laid out and landscaped in a mere 80 days in 1910 to ready it for the 100th anniver sary of the rebellion against Spanish rule. Its construction marked completion of stately Avenida de Mayo, built to connect the capitol building with the historic Plaza de Mayo where great acts in the nation's dramatic past have been played (pages 682-3). Nation Observes Two Independence Days Descending from our lofty perch, Teva and I walked along the avenue toward Plaza de Mayo. At its intersection with 9 de Julio, we dodged the traffic crowding this 150-yard wide thoroughfare which Argentines claim is the broadest in the world. Parallel to our route ran Avenida Rivadavia. "It has more than 260 blocks," Teva said, "and if that isn't the world's longest street, you can add the miles it goes out into the country." Then at last we came to Plaza de Mayo and the mas sive stone walls of the Cabildo (page 664). Begun in 1724, this hoary structure has served as a town hall, court of justice, house of parliament, library, and prison. Now it is a museum. "From its balcony," Teva explained, "colonial leaders on the 25th of May, 1810, announced to a crowd gathered in the plaza that they had forced Spain's representatives to give up the reins of government. "Actually we Argentines have two inde pendence days. That first one came when Spain was in the hands of Napoleon's forces. The colonial leaders rebelled against local Spanish authority, but proclaimed themselves still loyal to King Ferdinand, who had been deposed by the French. Not until July 9, 1816, was complete independence declared." Across the Plaza de Mayo from the Cabildo stands the baroque pile of the Casa Rosada, Argentina's Pink House. Originally a for tress, later the home of the nation's presidents, the building now houses the chief executive's offices and a historical museum. "They tell a story about how it got its color," Teva told me. "It's supposed to have happened in the 1870's during the time of Domingo F. Sarmiento, one of Argentina's great presidents; he laid the foundations for our educational system-on the U. S. model. There were two political parties then; one 677
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