González Catán
Encyclopedia
González Catán is a city located in La Matanza Partido
, Buenos Aires Province
, Argentina
. The city is the second-largest by area in the county (52 km²), and the second most-populous.It forms part of the Greater Buenos Aires urban conurbation.
The settlement itself is the oldest one in La Matanza County, and was originally founded in 1570 as a garrison by a Conquistador
, Captain Juan de Garay
. The modern settlement originated with the 1869 sale of the land by Germán Carrizo to Mauricio González Catán, a prominent surgeon and provincial legislator. He set aside the land for recreational purposes, christening it the Finca San Mauricio, in honor of his patron saint
. He and his wife, Juana del Carmen Palacios, set aside a parcel for the establishment of the Colegio San Mauricio in 1879, and he died in 1895.
Home to a dairy, an orchard and numerous other agricultural businesses, the town was officially established on April 3, 1910, by Dr. Enrique Simón Pérez, a dentist and brother-in-law of González Catán. Writer Martiniano Leguizamón had La Morita, his home, built nearby at the time, and the opening of a Ferrocarril Compañía General en la Provincia de Buenos Aires
station promoted the town's initial growth. The growth in manufacturing establishments in the county from 140 to over 1,600 between 1935 and 1954 led to an influx of migrants from the hinterland, and González Catán grew to become the second-largest city on the county. It social problems increased as well, however, and the city was the site of Father Mario Pantaleo
's chapel and day care center from the 1970s onwards. The Provincial Legislature declared it a city on September 19, 1974.
The city's socio-economic difficulties were dramatized in a 2004 film, Buena Vida Delivery.
La Matanza Partido
La Matanza is a partido located in the Greater Buenos Aires in Buenos Aires Province in Argentina....
, Buenos Aires Province
Buenos Aires Province
The Province of Buenos Aires is the largest and most populous province of Argentina. It takes the name from the city of Buenos Aires, which used to be the provincial capital until it was federalized in 1880...
, Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
. The city is the second-largest by area in the county (52 km²), and the second most-populous.It forms part of the Greater Buenos Aires urban conurbation.
The settlement itself is the oldest one in La Matanza County, and was originally founded in 1570 as a garrison by a Conquistador
Conquistador
Conquistadors were Spanish soldiers, explorers, and adventurers who brought much of the Americas under the control of Spain in the 15th to 16th centuries, following Europe's discovery of the New World by Christopher Columbus in 1492...
, Captain Juan de Garay
Juan de Garay
Juan de Garay was a Spanish conquistador.Garay was born in Orduña, Spain. He served under the Spanish crown, in the Viceroyalty of Peru...
. The modern settlement originated with the 1869 sale of the land by Germán Carrizo to Mauricio González Catán, a prominent surgeon and provincial legislator. He set aside the land for recreational purposes, christening it the Finca San Mauricio, in honor of his patron saint
Patron saint
A patron saint is a saint who is regarded as the intercessor and advocate in heaven of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or person...
. He and his wife, Juana del Carmen Palacios, set aside a parcel for the establishment of the Colegio San Mauricio in 1879, and he died in 1895.
Home to a dairy, an orchard and numerous other agricultural businesses, the town was officially established on April 3, 1910, by Dr. Enrique Simón Pérez, a dentist and brother-in-law of González Catán. Writer Martiniano Leguizamón had La Morita, his home, built nearby at the time, and the opening of a Ferrocarril Compañía General en la Provincia de Buenos Aires
Ferrocarril Compañía General en la Provincia de Buenos Aires
The Ferrocarril Compañía General de Buenos Aires was a French–owned company, formed in 1904, which operated a metre gauge railway network in Argentina....
station promoted the town's initial growth. The growth in manufacturing establishments in the county from 140 to over 1,600 between 1935 and 1954 led to an influx of migrants from the hinterland, and González Catán grew to become the second-largest city on the county. It social problems increased as well, however, and the city was the site of Father Mario Pantaleo
Mario Pantaleo
José Mario Pantaleo was an Italian priest who lived most of his life in Argentina. He is known as Padre Mario...
's chapel and day care center from the 1970s onwards. The Provincial Legislature declared it a city on September 19, 1974.
The city's socio-economic difficulties were dramatized in a 2004 film, Buena Vida Delivery.