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ARGENTINA:
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HISTORY
Argentina is connected with Chile across the
Andes Cordillera. The southern Andes offer a
magnificent view of glaciers that spill icebergs
into the blue-green lakes. The central Andes
features the highest peaks in the Western
Hemisphere, but the rest of the country is an
enormous flat area called Pampas. This grassland
is Argentina’s agricultural heartland, and
the home of the gaucho: the symbol of romantic
nationalism.
The indigenous Indians populated the eastern
slope of the central Andes, with irrigated maize
fields that supported the permanent villages. The
Spaniards arrived in the 15th century mainly
seeking for gold and silver. They forced the
Indians to work in the mines and the fields, and
mercilessly abused them to extract maximum
produces. Jesuit missionaries persuaded the
Spanish King to spare the hard labor called
"Encomiendas" to some area tribes, and
promised generous rewards to the King. As a
result, the Jesuit missions (Reducciones) were
built, and the laws, schools, public services and
hospitals were established. In 1536, the Querandi
Indians in the lowland area attacked the Spanish
garrison at Buenos Aires, the Spanish retreated,
and their leftover livestock like horses and cows
multiplied rapidly on the lush Pampas.
The Spanish settlement eventually moved back and
created huge cattle ranches, known as
"haciendas", and with it, the gaucho
(cowboy), but the wealth only concentrated in the
hands of very few of the land owners, called
Oligarchy, became the elite of society. The
country, virtually divided by rich and poor, did
not have a middle class. As a magnet of European
immigrants, newcomers from Swiss, Germany, France
and Italy continued to move in, Buenos Aires
become the capital of the new Viceroyalty of the
River Plate in 1776. Dissatisfaction with the
Spanish interference led to the revolution and
eventually led to Argentina’s independence
in 1816. Soon after, sheep were introduced into
Pamaps, and wools became the major supply for the
English mills. Also, small farms known as
"chacras" sprang up to supply the
city’s food demand. In late nineteenth
century, Argentina developed into a major export
producer of cereal crops and many agricultural
commodities. Many new immigrants continued to
flood in and became sharecroppers or season
labors. Most remained in Buenos Aires and
surrounding areas, which steadily increased the
city’s share of the country’s
population.
On May 7, 1919, a baby girl named Maria Eva
Duarte was born to Dona Juana Ibaguren and her
lover Juan Duarte in Los Toldos, a small town
outside of Buenos Aires. She was the youngest
child with four siblings preceding her: Elisa,
Blanca, Juan and Erminda. Erminda was Eva’s
inseparable playmate. In 1920, their father died
in a car accident, and the family sunk into
poverty almost instantly. Mother Dona Juana
rented a one-room house with a patio for her 5
small children and herself. She was poor but
owned a Singer sewing machine, to support her
family; she hunched over the machine and worked
long hours, day and night, till the veins in her
legs began to burst. The doctors told her to stop
sewing so much. Nevertheless she refused to heed
the doctor’s advice " If I don’t
work, how can we survive?" she cried.
It was difficult for the two young girls growing
up. One day Erminda walked into the classroom,
and scrawled on the blackboard were the words,
"You are not a Duarte, you are an
Ibarguren". After school, Erminda would
confide in the little Eva, about how shameful she
felt that they were illegitimate children. As a
child, Eva was tiny and sickly and in 1927, her
only beloved grandma died. She cried desperately
and was gripped by the grief. Dona and her older
daughters eventually started working as cooks for
a wealthy family. It was then that the little Eva
discovered that there are rich people in this
world, and that they didn’t care for the
sufferings of the poor. After that realization,
Eva’s childhood was marked as a sad and
unhappy one.
Despite her mother’s strong stance, at the
age of 15, with stubbornness and strong will
driving her, Eva went to Buenos Aires to
interview for work. It was not easy to find a job
without skills. She was hungry, pale, skinny,
poorly dressed and with holes in her shoes.
Nevertheless, like all her sisters, she was
strikingly pretty with naturally translucent skin
and vivid eyes, and on top of that she had a
beautiful voice. Between the occasional jobs in
the radio and film studios, she often found
herself wondering from place to place without
job. It was a mystery how she survived those
early years in Buenos Aires. One version said she
moved in with a tango singer to find herself a
shelter and was later abandoned by him. Some
other versions have not fared better.
A few years after, her studio pictures began
showing up in the newspapers and magazines.
Before long they more frequently appeared, and by
then she preferred to be called Evita. In1939,
she received small contracts with filmmakers, and
had small roles movies. It was all she dreamed of
since childhood – to be a movie star. Even
as a young adult, she was as innocent and honest
as a child. Her innocence brought her trouble.
She met her magazine editor, Kartulowicz, who
published her photos and quickly fell in love
with him. But, one weekend she came to see him,
waited outside his office for 12 hours, while he
was out with another woman.
Still, her strong will persisted, and in 1939 and
1940, Evita’s name was finally linked to
soap operas, and even though those parts were
mostly silent, she was headed for bigger things.
In 1941, Evita started working as an actress in
movies. Soon "Evita" became a household
name. On January 15, 1945, an earthquake
destroyed most of the Andean city of San Juan.
Seven thousand people died. Juan Domingo Peron,
the Secretary of Labor and Social Welfare
organized a national relief effort inviting,
along with Evita, the most popular movie stars to
participate. Evita and Juan Domingo met and their
courtship began. Not long after they began their
romance, Peron was forced to resigned and then
put in jail by political oppositions. From his
prison cell, he wrote to Evita,"as soon as I
get out, let’s get married and move
somewhere to live in peace...". They married
October 22, 1945 at 8:25pm. Though they were
happy to be married, Peron’s promise of
peace did not come with the wedding.
With Evita’s help, Peron was soon elected by
the labor party as President of Argentina. Unlike
other President’s wives, Evita set up
foundations for the poor, women and children, and
constructed housings for destitute families. She
built hospitals and orphanages, and visited needy
people as much as she could. She hugged the sick
and wounded, kissed the lepers without hesitation
or protection. She continued to work long hours;
forsaking lunch hour, and working until dawn.
Millions of the poor benefited by her efforts.
She was very passionate about her work, but she
hated the Oligarchy for not helping the needy. In
response, the elite society also criticized and
rejected her due to her commonplace origin.
Despite her persecution and criticism, she
continued to help where needed.
IN 1947, she toured Spain, France, Italy,
Portugal and Switzerland, where she received
accolades as well as critiques. She missed her
husband back in Argentina, and wrote a letter,
"… you make me so happy that I feel
like I am dreaming…". On her way home,
hundreds of thousands of Argentines welcomed
their first lady at the port of Buenos Aires. At
28, she became world famous and the most powerful
lady in Latin America. Soon she urged Congress to
pass a bill to allow women to vote. On August 22,
1951, a million people rallied at Nueve de Julio
Avenue shouting "Evita, Evita." They
shouted their support for her to be the candidate
for vice president. Later, due to the
military’s opposition, she stepped down. At
the same time, she was diagnosed with cancer and
it was starting to drain her energy. In June
1952, at Peron’s second presidential
inauguration, she barely was able to stand next
to her husband. It was her last public
appearance. During her illness, she didn’t
reduce her workload. "I don’t have
time; I have so much to do."
In the cold winter of July 26, 1952, Buenos
Aires, Argentina stood silent listening to the
radio broadcast, "It is our sad duty to
inform you…..Eva Peron …. of the
nation, passed away at 8:25 pm". All
Argentines wept. She died at 33 with no children,
on a rainy evening. "Sell all my processions
and give them to the poor….my heart…
will be always with them" were her last few
words.
In 1982, with rapid economic deterioration and
popular discontent, the military dictator
Galtieri launched the attack of British Falkland
Islands to keep himself in power. The islands had
been claimed by Argentina for a century and a
half. British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher
amassed an enormous naval task force to
counterattack. Argentina air force fought the war
fiercely regardless of loss and sacrifices. As
the result, Britain suffered heavy naval losses.
Argentina eventually lost the war, but the air
force nevertheless established their name with
bravery in world history.
For the past few decades, Argentina became one of
the world’s richest countries; Buenos Aires
is like the Paris of South America. But in the
past few years, with the narrow-minded
politicians ruling the country, their
mismanagement and broken promises have
deteriorated the country’s economy. The
government’s $141 billion in debt eventually
crashed the whole country’s financial
system. On January 11, 2002, when banks opened
their doors, the pesos devalued 40% over night.
And by January 20, it devalued 100%. Argentina
has the history of going through military
dictatorship to inept democracy, and through the
cycles of hyperinflation and unemployment. But in
the long run, the country has the most potential
for success in Latin America.
CULTURE
At the end of the 19th century, the majority of
immigrants from Europe were young males trying
their luck at this new country, and young women
were scarce in those days. And the only place to
meet the opposite sex was in the dance halls.
With immigrants coming from various countries,
the musicians did whatever they could to
entertain the crowd with songs from each
respective culture. This random mix of different
culture’s music added to Argintinean
culture. Eventually all the airs and movements
merged and created an unprecedented synthesis,
called Tango. In all, it was the milonga,
habanera, waltz and the schottis on one side,
mixed with Italian opera music and the canzonetta
on the other side. Tango is romantic and
sentimental, reflecting the loneliness and
sadness of the immigrants’ longing for their
homelands in Europe. Little by little, the street
barrel organs spread the tango through town after
town. People simply sang and danced on the
streets, and it became the treasure of Argentina,
for it tells the hearts of the Argentinean
people.
Besides official Spanish, there are 17 languages
spoken in Argentina; Italian being one of the
most widely understood, due to the large
immigrant group from Italy. Many smaller
immigrant communities retain their own mother
tongues as well. Soccer is the king of sports; it
is more of a national pride than simply a game.
Soccer stars are the focus of the paparazzi.
Argentines eat little or no breakfast, lunch
lasts for hours, and dinner usually starts at
9:00 pm or even after midnight. Argentina
cuisines are heavy on varieties of regional beef.
The Italian influences are popular among the
restaurants and are usually served with other
flavors of local dishes. Empanadas are considered
as the world’s finest snacks; it is a
delicious turnover filled with vegetables,
olives, chicken, beef, ham, cheese or other
fillings, either baked or fried, and they are
cheap and available everywhere.
OUR MISSION
In 17th century, guided by the Jesuits, the
Guarani Indians developed into a well-organized
society. Jesuits taught the Indians to live
according to the principal of the Gospel, and
insulated them from the bad influences of the
Europeans. Gurarani were skilled craftsmen, they
produced watches, music instruments and some
advanced products in the missions, such as the
typography. They worked 6 hours a day (compared
to 12 hours a day in Europe at that time),
spending the rest of their free time for dance,
music, sports and prayer. In 1750, the King of
Spain ceded a large portion of the territory to
Portugal, who took advantage of the productions
of the Missions. The Indians revolted, in the
Guarani wars, the Jesuits and Indians were
slaughtered by defending the Missions against the
advancing Portuguese army. By 1767, the last
mission was destroyed, and the few surviving
Indians moved back to the forest. The ruins of 15
beautiful missions stand silently even today.
Generations came and generations go, only
"change" itself and God are constant.
Time comes and brings the opportunities with it,
and submits the fruits of each person to God when
it goes by. It is not as important as how long we
live, but what we make of our life. So what would
be left when all is said and done? Only the love
and care we have offered to others in our life
for Christ’s sake, and much of it will only
be known to Our God -- to Him nothing will be
lost or forgotten.
Join our winter teams and fly together into the
beautiful Argentine summer!
Full country name: República Argentina
Area: 2,776,890 sq km (1,083,000 sq mi)
Population: 36,956,000
Capital city: Buenos Aires (pop 12 million)
People: 85% European descent, 15% mestizo, Indian
and other minorities
Language: American Spanish, plus 17 indigenous
languages
Religion: 93% Roman Catholic, 2.5% Protestant, 2%
Jewish, 1.5% Ukranian Catholic, 1% Armenian
Orthodox
Government: Republic
President: Fernando de la Rúa
GDP: US$374 billion
GDP per head: US$10,300
Inflation: 1%
Major industries: Food processing, motor
vehicles, consumer durables, textiles, chemicals
and petrochemicals, printing, metallurgy, steel,
agribusiness
Major trading partners: Brazil, USA, Netherlands,
Germany, Italy
• Basic Spanish language will be taught by
our spanish teacher, the course will be included
in the total 20 hours of missions training
• You may have a tour of Argentina or other
South America countries after the project, and
reschedule your airline ticket with the carrier
from Buenos Aires to Los Angeles/Seattle/New
York; the International Travel Insurance will
cover three more weeks of your traveling time.
Our sponsoring churches and affiliated
missionaries would be happy to assist you for
information or any special needs.
Source: Lonely Planet, Argentina & Eva Peron
LONG
TERM MISSION
Would you spend two years to serve the Lord in
Argentina?
If you are ready to serve our Lord Jesus Christ,
and dedicate your talents and energy toward His
plan for you. Overseas Summer Missions is an
uniquely organized, worldwide network ministry.
You can be a part of this community and join our
strategic planning and visions to bring people to
the Kingdom of God. It will not only be an
exciting and rewarding experience, but above all,
its fruits last for eternity.
We are seeking full-time staff who have a love
for God and sincere desire to serve Him, to be
assigned to Argentina, with a minimum of 2 years
commitment. If you have an available heart,
please pray for God’s will for you to take
these challenges and opportunities to serve
overseas, and because of your effort, thousands
of lives will be changed.
"How
beautiful are the feet of those who bring good
news!" Romans 10:15
We are currently accepting applications for
full-time staff. If you are considering joining
our ministry, please contact Frank Holiday at frank@OSMusa.org for more information
regarding qualifications, missions and fund
raisings.
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Ruin of
Mission San Ignacio Mini, Argentina
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