Last modified: 2020-07-26 by francisco gregoric
Keywords: esteban echeverría | echeverría (esteban) | partido de esteban echeverría |
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The District of Esteban Echeverría (298,814 inhabitants in 2010;
39,082 ha) is located 30 km due south of Buenos Aires City. The
municipality includes the towns of Monte Grande (capital; 109,644
inh.), Nueve de Abril (40,609 inh.), Canning (8,595 inh.; shared with
the district of Ezeiza), El Jagüel (48,781 inh.) and Luis Guillón
(38,068 inh.)
The district was established on 9 April 1913, separating from Lomas de
Zamora. The municipal independence was pushed by the Santamarina
family. According to the historian Carlos Liotta, the independentist
feelings arouse from the "lack of means of communication", "distance",
and aspiration of the inhabitants to have "a place of their own".
Monte Grande, which had been established as a town 24 years before and
had been the stronghold of the independentist movement, was made the
capital of the new district.
The district is named for the Argentine writer Esteban Echeverría
(1805-1851). Born form an Argentine mother and a Spanish Basque
father, Echeverría went to Europe to complete his studies, compromised
in Argentina by its dissolute youth. During his stay in Paris
(1825-1830), he read a lot of books in French and English, which
prompted him to introduce romanticism in Buenos Aires. His collections
of poems, "Consuelos" (1834) and "Rimas" (1637, including "La
Cautiva", his most famous poem ever) were warmly received. Echeverría
became a familiar of the salon established by Marco Sastre (1808-1887)
in his bookshop. After the closure of the salon by the dictator Juan
Manuel de Rosas (1793-1877), the poet founded on 8 July 1838 a secrete
society, "Asociación de Mayo" (May Association), modelled on Mazzini's
"Giovine Italia" (Young Italy); the society had branches in the
Provinces of Córdoba, Tucumán and San Juan. Most politicians who would
reorganize the Republic as a liberal democracy after the defeat of
Rosas in the battle of Caseros (3 February 1852) were members of the
society. Their political principles ("Dogma Socialista"), strongly
influenced by Echeverría, were published on 1 January 1839 in "El
Indicador", a newspaper of Montevideo, and reprinted in 1846, with
some modifications. Echeverría's political involvement forced him to
exile in Uruguay in 1840. His complete works were edited decades after
his death by his friend Juan María Gutiérrez (1809-1878) and published
in Buenos Aires (1870-1874).
Ivan Sache 28 Jul 2015
The flag of Esteban Echeverría is vertically divided blue-white with a
tree emblem, outlined in golden yellow in the middle.
The flag was designed by Gustavo Tombesi. Born in Luis Guillón Tombesi
works in Lomas de Zamora; he was member of the jury that selected the
flag of Lomas de Zamora in 2011.
The white field represents the purity of air; before urbanization, the
place was famous for its big mountain, the capital's namesake ("monte
grande", "a big mountain"). White is also a symbol of security and
faith.
The blue field represents the "celestial sky"; together with the white
stripe, it refers to the homeland.
On the flag's vertical axis is placed a plantlet looking like a five-
leaved tala* seedling, the autochthonous tree. The leaves are orange,
"the colour of strength and resistance". The five leaves represent
"the increase of the five powerful settlements of the district". The
plantlet is superimposed to a green, five-branched tree, symbolizing
"the great mounts at the origin of the district".
Beneath the tree are placed two golden yellow quills, representing
"the high ideals, wisdom and knowledge" of the Romantic writer Esteban
Echeverría, the district's namesake. Located between the two quills, a
golden yellow gear wheel, pierced with five holes, represents the
industrial tradition of each of the five settlements forming the
district. Golden yellow is a symbol of the sun, abundance, wealth and
power.
The flag was selected in a public contest announced on 9 April 2013
(the centenary of the municipality). The proposed designs were
expected to represent all the citizens of the municipality and its
five constituting settlements. Moreover, the proposals were expected
to highlight the distinctive characteristics of the district, such as
industrial and rural activities, as well as its history and
traditions, and to reflect its values, such as commitment to work and
strength.
The contest, which ended on 9 June 2015, yielded 1,043 submissions
(much more than expected), which were shown in an educational
institute. A first short-list of 13 proposals was established by a
commission composed of members of the Municipal Council, of the School
Council, of the Centenary Council, and Aníbal Gotelli (President of the CIDEC). On 2 July 2015, registered representatives of the schools and local institutions selected three finalist designs. Proposals No.
183, No. 176 and No. 181 obtained 52, 44, and 41 votes, respectively,
out of more than 300 votes.
It was eventually elected the flag of Esteban Echeverría
on 9 July 2015, obtaining 40.3% of the more than 150 votes - the
election was open to all citizens of the district.
It is horizontally divided green-dark green-red (c.
2:2:1) with curvy limits between the stripes. In the middle is placed
the municipal emblem made of three leaves, the central dark green and
the outer green, inscribed in a rising red sun fimbriated white.
Beneath the emblem is placed an open book with a blue-white-blue
bookmark.
It is horizontally divided green-dark green. In the
middle is placed an emblem made, in the upper part of 13 orange leaves
and, in its lower part of half a mill wheel and half a cog wheel, the
lower inner half part of the emblem being white, all over the same
book as in proposal No. 181.
Ivan Sache, 28 Jul 2015
Anything below this line was not added by the editor of this page.