Banner exchange
Subscribe!
Español
Home About this Site More photos Art Galery Contact

Glossary employed in www.argentinaparamirar.com.ar

Aberdeen Angus

Bovine breed used for its meat. It is originally from Scotland. It is of a median size and it has a black coat. It is an important bovine breed in Great Britain, Argentina and the United States of America.

Academic

In Fine Arts, subjection to spirit and technique of generally accepted artistic tradition symbolized by academies.

Alacaluf

(also known as Kawescar) Inhabitants of the region between Brecknock Peninsula and the North of Penas Gulf, as well as the south-western coast of Chile’s continental land. They travelled in canoes; and lived from hunting sea mammals and collecting shellfish. Some direct descendants of the Alacaluf live in the Magellan Province in Chile.

Alberto Vacarezza

Dramatic Argentine author born in 1896. He wrote many one-act farces such us "Tu cuna fue un conventillo" (You were born in a tenement house), "El teniente Peñaloza" (Lieutenant Peñaloza), "Cuando un pobre se divierte" (When a poor man has fun) and some dramas such as "La Casa de los Batallan" (The Batallan's house).

Alfereces

"People skilled in horse-riding". They wear a band from their left to their right shoulder, crossing their chest and back.

Aloja

Drink made out of carob tree and alcohol.

Alto Peru

Comprising present-day Bolivia and adjacent areas of Peru/the Peruvian highlands.

Ambrotype Wet-plate collodion positive image made on glass, one of a kind. Ambrotypes were popular from 1852 to the mid 1860s. (More information)

American Rhea

Runner birds comprising three species of rhea in South America. Its speed was related to death.

Añapa

Sweet drink made out of carob tree.

Andes Region

Region integrated by the following villas: Puelo Lake, El Bolson, El Hoyo, Epuyen, El Maiten and Cholila.

Angel Villoldo

(1860-1919) Author of a great number of Tangos that were very representative of his time.

Anglo

Popular name given to the Anglo-Argentine Tramways.

Antonio Esteban Aguero

Recognized poet from San Luis. His work is totally dedicated to the places, characters, animals or songs of the province of San Luis.

Antonio Ghiberti

Florentine sculptor and architect (1378-1455). Author of the bronze doors of the Baptistery of Florence’s cathedral, referred to as the “Doors of Paradise” by Michelangelo Buonarroti. One of the doors was created between 1403 and 1424 and the other one between 1425 and 1452.

Architect Jose Maria Peña

Director of the Buenos Aires City Museum. Founder of San Telmo’s Antiques Fair, City of Buenos Aires.

Art Deco

Was a popular international design movement from 1925 until 1939, affecting the decorative arts. (More ixnformation)

Art Nouveau

A style of architecture and interior decor dating from the late 1800s marked by the excessive use of undulations, such as waves, flames, flower stalks and flowing hair.

Arturo Dresco

(1875 – 1961) Important Argentine sculptor.

Ashlar

Kind of stone used for the construction of important works.

Atahualpa Yupanqui

(1908-1992) Singer, guitar player, poet, composer, and compiler. He left countless folkloric works. France granted him with the Order of Knight of Arts and Literature in 1986.

Atlantes

Name given to the statues of men supporting the architrave over their heads or shoulders.

Augusto Passaglia

Author of 2 of the 3 modern (1887) doors of Santa Maria del Fiore Cathedral in Florence, Italy.

Bajo de Veliz

Formation dating from the Superior Carbonic period of the Paleozoic Era, with an age of 286 million years.

Banister

A handrail with its supporting posts. (Webster's Dictionary)

Bartolome Mitre (1821 - 1906) Politician, military, journalist; governor of the Province of Buenos Aires and President of the Argentine Nation between 1862 and 1868. Founder of “La Nacion”, a newspaper that is still today among the most important newspapers in Argentina.

Battlement

A parapet with open spaces that surmounts a wall and is used for defence or decoration. (Webster’s Dictionary)

Belen

Name of one of the indigenous culture, mainly developed in Belen, Province of Catamarca.

Benedictine Order Order that observes the Rule of St. Benedict written by St, Benedict in his final days (540 a. C.).
Benito Quinquela Martin

(1890-1977) Considered the “Riachuelo” artist, and the most popular of Argentine plastic artists. His work can be seen in the finest museums in Europe and America.

Bernardino Rivadavia

President of Argentina between 1826 and 1827.

Bethlehem Order

Monks belonging to an order founded in Guatemala in the 17th century by Pedro de Bethencourt. They were in Argentina during the Vicereign period.

Bishop Jose Eusebio Colombres

Religious person from the province of Tucuman, congressman in 1816 and founder of the sugar industry in Argentina.

Blunderbuss

A short musket of wide bore with a flared muzzle. (Websters’ Online Dictionary)

Boisserie

(Fr.) Wood cover that is used in the interior walls of a building.

Bon Marché

The first store to become a great department store by absorbing small shops was Paris Bon Marché, in 1838. For this reason, Pacific Shopping Centre, in the city of Buenos Aires, was referred to as Bon Marché.

Also: General store

Bragado

Village of the Province of Buenos Aires with an important lake to which the legend relates.

Bragao

Abbreviation of Bragado.

Brass

An alloy of copper and zinc. (Webster’s Online Dictionary)

Calchaquinean Valleys

System of valleys and mountains of 520 Km long, extending through the provinces of Catamarca, Tucuman, and Salta; up to the border with Bolivia.

Capital

The uppermost member of a column or pilaster crowning the shaft and taking the weight of the entablature. (Webster's Dictionary)

Capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) or Capibara

Also known as carpincho in Spanish. Largest living rodent in the world.

Carillon

A set of fixed bells sounded by hammers controlled by a keyboard. (Webster’s Dictionary)

Carlos Gardel

Argentine singer and composer who got famous after appearing in film productions in the United States.

Carlos Guerrero

Landlord of the Province of Buenos Aires that, after the Dessert Campaign conducted by Julio. A. Roca, introduces the Aberdeen Angus bovine breed in Argentina.

Carob tree

Latin American leguminous tree. Its wood is resinous and the seeds are eatable. They are used to make an intoxicating drink. It was part of Argentina native inhabitants’ diet.

Casa Chorizo “Sausage house”. In order to make the most out of the space of each block, and due to the quick expansion of Argentina’s population in the beginning of the 20th century, many houses were cut in half, making two houses out of one. The result was a long house with the rooms lined up and communicated to each other through one window-door that opened into a lateral courtyard.

Catacombs

Underground galleries where dead people were buried.

Cayasta

Settlement founded in 1750. In 1780 it was moved for the first time and in 1794 for the second to its current location.

Chaco-Santiagueña Originated in the pre-Columbian cultures of the Chaco Region (Eco-geographic region defined by its vegetation and located in South America).
Childhood Patronage One of the oldest private entities concerned with general welfare in Argentina. It was founded in 1892, in the middle of an important economic and political crisis, with the aim of protecting the helpless children that were found in the streets or tenement houses in Buenos Aires.

Chinita

Slang for "young lady" employed in Argentina’s countryside.

Chipiacas

“Chipiac” was the word for horse in the Mocovi language. Consequently, it may be assumed that the Indigenous Population used this word to point to the region that was later called the Calchaqui Valley, through were Gregorio de Bazan had arrived from Santiago del Estero to Malabrigo riding the first “Chipiac” (horses) that the Mocovis had ever seen.

Chivilcoy

City of the province of Buenos Aires, located in the centre-east of Argentina. The village was founded in 1854, when Genera Sarmiento established a Swiss and an Italian colony in it. The village was named after a Tribal leader called Chivilcoy.

Cienaga culture

The Cienaga culture developed in the Northwest of Argentina; mainly in the Province of Catamarca, although its influence goes from the Calchaqui Valley on the North, to the Northern area of the Province of San Juan.

Claude Debussy (1862-1918) French composer.
Collodion

First formulated in 1846, collodion was, and still is, used as a medical dressing. Made from cotton (or cellulose), soaked in nitric and sulphuric acids, it is thoroughly washed and dried, and then dissolved in ether and alcohol. (More information)

Comechingon

indigenous inhabitants who, at the moment of the Spanish Conquer, lived in the mountain ranges of Cordoba and San Luis in Argentina.

Condor

Species of bird. They are the largest flying birds that still exist. There are two species of condor, one that lives in the Andes, and another one, that lives in California. Condors are scavengers. They feed on carrion.

Conlara country

Valley that can be found between the Comechingones mountain range and San Luis mountain range. It continues in the province of Cordoba with the name Traslasierra (behind the mountain range).

Conlara Valley

Wide zone covering the provinces of San Luis, Cordoba and Mendoza the name of which is of aboriginal origin.

Constitution Sermon

Famous political-religious sermon pronounced in relation to the meaning of the National Constitution.

Constitutional Congress of 1826

In charge of producing the Constitution of the Argentine Republic of the 14th of December of 1826 in Buenos Aires. The provinces rejected this constitution.

Constitutional Congress of Santa Fe of 1853

Argentine Constitution of 1853 was the first constitution of Argentina approved with the support of the governments of the provinces —though without that of the Buenos Aires Province, who remained separated of the Argentine Confederation until 1859.

Corinthian order

Is one of the Classical orders of Greek and Roman architecture, characterized by a slender fluted column and an ornate capital decorated with acanthus leaves and scrolls.

Cornelio Saavedra

(1759-1829) was a military man, born to a noble family in Potosi (in present day, Bolivia), part of the Viceroyalty of the Rio de la Plata. He was involved in the Buenos Aires May Revolution.

Court Palace

The Supreme Court of Justice, along with other departments of the Ministry of Justice, has its offices in this building.

Cowbell

A bell hung about the neck of a cow to make a sound by which it can be located. (Webster’s Dictionary)

Crank A hand tool consisting of a rotating shaft with parallel handle. (Webster’s Online Dictionary)

Creole

a person of native birth but of European descent – used esp. in the West Indies and Spanish America. (Webster’s Dictionary)

Curiyu

(Hydrodynastes gigas). Yellow Anaconda originally from Argentina and Brazil.

Cuyo

The Cuyo region is located on the West of Argentina. It occupies a small portion of the provinces of Catamarca, La Rioja and San Luis; and almost completely, San Juan and Mendoza.

Cyrus’ Palace

Cyrus’ Palace is an example of the elegance and refinement of Persian Art.

Daguerreotype

Early type of photograph (1839), developed by Louis Daguerre and Nicephore Niepce, in which the image is exposed directly onto a mirror-polished surface of silver bearing a coating of silver halide particles deposited by iodine vapour.

Dardo Rocha

Argentine politician born in 1838. He graduated in laws, fought for General Mitre, was a member of the national parliament, and later a national senator. The most important work of his life was the foundation of the city of La Plata and its urban design.

Declaration of Independence

The United Provinces of the River Plate, currently comprising the territory covered mainly by Argentina and Uruguay, declare their Independence during a Congress held in the City of Tucuman on the 9th of July of 1816.

Decree of 1933

Decree of Literary Works Preservation binding all publishers, either of newspapers, magazines or books to deliver two copies of each publication, both to the National Library and to the National Congress Library.

Derelict

Noun. A ship abandoned on the high seas. (More information)

Dessert Campaign

Military campaign carried out by the government of Argentina against the native cultures, with the aim of dominating the territory of the Pampa and Patagonia.

Domingo Faustino Sarmiento

(1811-1888) Among others, teacher, writer, journalist and president of Argentina. He performed an important educational labour.

Doric

A Greek-style column with only a simple decoration around the top, usually a smooth or slightly rounded band of wood, stone or plaster.

Drover

Someone who drives a herd. (Webster’s Online Dictionary)

Eclecticism Making decisions on the basis of what seems best instead of following some single doctrine or style. (Webster’s Online Dictionary)
Eduardo Villagra Designated as Gualeguaychu’s commander-in-chief by Justo Jose de Urquiza.

Emil Berliner

German inventor creator of the gramophone for recording the singers’ voices in 1887.

Engineer William White (1844-1926) He was one of the first men to graduate from the University of Buenos Aires with an Engineer’s degree. He was president of the Board of Directors of Ferrocarril del Sud (South Railway), Buenos Aires and Rosario Railways, and Dock Sud’s Tramways Company.
Entrustment Domination and exploitation method used in the Spanish colonies. It consisted in the delivery of a group of Native people to a Spanish person for him to “protect, educate and evangelize” them in exchange for a tribute received by the trustee. The duty of the trustee was to educate the native people in the Catholic faith and introduce them into the practice of “good habits”. (More information)
Ernesto de la Carcova Argentine plastic artist who played a decisive roll in the creation of the Imitations Museum.

Ernesto Servine

Discovered the spiders during the exploitation of the slate lutites in the former quarry of Santa Rosa of the Bajo de Veliz.

Esteban de Luca

Military, poet and journalist. He participated actively as a lieutenant in the 3rd Battalion of the Patrician's Regiment during the English invasions to Buenos Aires (1806-1807).

Extremadura

Old province of Spain that used to reach the Duero River.

Facon

Large knife from Argentina and Uruguay.

Felix Coluccio

Argentine folklore researcher. Author of a remarkable amount of work on Argentine folklore since 1945 onwards. He was awarded with the Platinum Konex National Award as well as with SADE’s Honour Band. He was Undersecretary of Culture of Argentina and Director of the National Arts Fund.

Ferrotype

(tintype) Positive image on asphalted iron, made using the wet-plate collodion process.

Fique’s Store

Luis Fique arrived in Tierra del Fuego in the year 1884 along with the expedition of Major Laserre, and became the first argentine person to become an Ushuaia resident. The Fique family owned, among other properties, a store (the most important of those times), which had its own pier.

Foxtrot

Type of ballroom dance, originally from the United Status of America which was popular in the beginning of the 20th century.

Francisco Canaro

(1888-1964) Author of several tangos such as “El Chamuyo” or “La Tablada”. 
Great producer of musical plays and movies. Founder of the Argentine Society of Authors and Composers. (More information)

Francisco Tamburini

Among other jobs, he projected, in 1894, during Luis Saenz Peña’s presidential government, the union of the former Post Office and the former Government House, forming the complex monument that is today’s Government House . He also designed the Government House’ facades over Rivadavia and Colon Avenues, which are the most Italian and harmonic ones. He started Colon Theatre’s works in 1891, being followed by the architects Victor Meano, who respected the basic dispositions, and Jules Dormal, who gave it a French style.

Frieze

The part of an entablature between the architrave and the cornice. (Webster’s Dictionary)

Frontis

Facade or frontage.

Funerary urn

Vase of variable shapes meant to contain the ashes or mummified corps of the dead in ancient times.

Gaucho

Cowboy of the South American pampas. (Webster’s Dictionary)

General Julio Argentino Roca

(1843 –1914) Army general who served as President of Argentina from 12 October 1880 to 12 October 1886 and again from 12 October 1898 to 12 October 1904.

General Justo Jose de Urquiza

(1801 - 1870) Governor of Entre Rios who defeated Rosas. He was a propeller of national organization and the first constitutional president of Argentina.

General Lavalle

City located in the province of Buenos Aires, through which the meat and fish for export went through.

Giusseppe Garibaldi (1807 – 1882) was an Italian military and political leader. He contributed to the independence of Uruguay, leading the Italian Legion in the Uruguayan Civil War, and afterwards returned to Italy as a commander in the conflicts of the Risorgimento, contributing to the Italian unification process.

Gothic

Style of architecture developed in the northern France and spreading through western Europe from the middle of the 12th century to the early 16th century that is characterized by the converging of weights and strains at isolated points upon slender vertical piers and counterbalancing buttresses and by pointed arches and vaulting. (Webster’s Dictionary)

Greslebin, Hector (architect)

Argentinean archaeologist born in 1893. He is author of works relating to pre-Columbus architecture, Diaguitas (native Argentine culture) pottery and civilization of the provinces of Chaco and Santiago del Estero. He was the first researcher of the Tunnels of the Illuminated Block and an important defender of their preservation.

Guillermo Rawson

Dr. Guillermo Golesbery Rawson (1821-1890) was a medical doctor and one of the most influential politicians in nineteenth century Argentina.

Haylli

"People on foot" or "men who sing". They wear a sort of scapular that covers their chest and part of their back, adorned with hanging trinkets and little mirrors. They also use a headband on the forehead from which red ribbons hang on the back.

HANIS Association

The word Hanis means “lenga” in the Yamanas’ language. The name Hanis was chosen for this association because it abbreviates H for history, A for anthropology, N for nature, I for island and S for south. This association has been working together with the End of the World Museum in the maintenance and conservation of the memory of the Fuegian past.

Hernan Arias de Saavedra

Also called Hernandarias. Governor of Asuncion, in Paraguay, between 1591 and 1615.

Haush

(also known as Manekenkn) Inhabitants of the Island of Tierra del Fuego who occupied the region between Cape San Pablo, over the Atlantic coast and Sloggett Bay, on the coast of the Beagle Channel. They still lived according to their old traditions when, in 1880, the white men began to colonise their territory, eliminating the whole Haush population. They were culturally similar to the Selk’nam although they shared some of the habits of the Yamanas.

Hogar Obrero

“Labourers Home” was a credit union founded by the socialists Nicolas Repetto and Juan B. Justo on the 30th of July of 1905. Besides granting credits for housing and consumption, the Hogar Obrero participated in the Food Industry and in the production of electronic household equipment.

Hold

Noun. The space in a ship or aircraft for storing cargo. (More information)

Hole

(Sp. Hueco) Word used in Argentine to designate a square as well as any vacant land in a city or town during the 19th century.

Hull

Noun. The frame or body of ship. (More information)

Ibiza Global Radio

Radio issuing electronic music 24 hours a day from Ibiza, Spain.

Imperforate

(of a stamp or sheet of stamps) Lacking perforations or rouletting. (Webster’s Dictionary)

Incunabulum

Early printed book, printed before the end of A. D. 1500.

Ingeniero White

(Engineer White) City and port of the Province of Buenos Aires located 10 Km away from the city of Bahia Blanca. Its port is one of the main ports in Argentina. The history of this city goes back to the time when the port of Ingeniero White was inaugurated the 26 September 1885. The first pier, built by the company Buenos Aires Great Southern Railway (Ferrocarril del Sud), was inaugurated that day. (More information)

Institute of Historical Researches on the Illuminated Block

Private institute devoted to the research of the development of the Illuminated Block during the period of Buenos Aires’ foundation.

Inti Huasi

Argentine archaeological bed, located in the Conlara Valley discovered by archaeologist Alberto Rex Gonzalez.

Ionic

Belonging to or resembling the Ionic order of architecture characterized esp. by the spiral volutes of its capital. (Webster’s Dictionary)

Jose de San Martin

(1778 – 1850) Argentine general and one of the prime leaders of the southern part of South America's successful struggle for independence from Spain.

Jose Podesta

(1858-1937) Argentine drama player and theatre manager, from a family devoted to show business. He created the first Argentine Popular Theatre Company: The Podesta Brothers.

Jose Rufino Lucero y Sosa

Governor of San Luis from May 29th, 1867 to November 21st, 1870. He developed an important work in relation to trying to take peace to the province that was undergoing at that time serious political quarrels.

Juan Agustin Iceto

President of the La Boca Historical Records Board who collaborated on this subject.

Juan Carlos Castañino (1908-1972) Argentine plastic artist. He is specially remembered because of the illustration he did for the 1963 edition of the Martin Fierro.

Juan de Garay

Spanish conqueror born in the first third of the XVI century. Founder of Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Santa Fe and Buenos Aires in Argentina.

Juan M Vigo

Argentine historian.

Juan Manuel Blanes

Uruguayan artist, born in Montevideo (1830-1901). He specialized in the historical and portrait genres.

Juan Manuel de Rosas

Governor of Buenos Aires between 1829-1832 and 1835-1852.

Jukebox

Automatic Record Player.

Jurassic

From 135 million to 190 million years ago; dinosaurs; conifers. (Webster’s Online Dictionary)

Kilmes

Native people inhabiting the Calchaquinean Valleys who, after surrendering to the Spanish Government (through the mediation of Tucuman’s Governor) were forced to exile to the south of the City of Buenos Aires in 1666, to a city currently known as Quilmes.

Kristiania

Oslo, capital of Norway.

La Boca

Crowded neighbourhood of the City of Buenos Aires, whose inhabitants - mainly from Genoa, Italy- occupied it attracted by the possibility of working at the port.

La Plata

Capital city of the province of Buenos Aires.

Larch

Any of numerous conifers of the genus Larix all having deciduous needlelike leaves. (Websters' online dictionary)

Lenga

Nothofagus pumilio. Also known as Fuegian oak. Its leaves are asymmetric, with teeth, polished, caducous. It is used for the construction of both floors, walls, etc, and furniture. (Informative summary for the visitor. Miscellaneous of the End of the World. Ushuaia's Touristic Department. End of the World Museum. 1992. Tierra del Fuego, Argentina)

Leopoldo Lugones

Argentine writer born in Rio Seco (Province of Catamarca) (1874-1938). He was one of the greatest Argentine poets, if not the most important one of his times.

Lola Mora

(1866 - 1936) was an Argentine sculptor. She is known today as a rebel and a pioneer in her artistic field. Her real name was Dolores Mora Vega.

Lope de Vega

(1562-1635) Spanish poet and drama writer known as “The Fenix of the wit”.

Luis de Cervi

Italian painter born in Lucca (1863-1945). The painting of the ceiling of the White Room is an allegory of the May Revolution of 1810 and the Independence of the 9th of July of 1816. It was painted in 1910. He is the author of several other works both in Argentina and Europe.

Lujan

Important city close to the Capital of Argentina that has one of the most important Cathedrals of the country around which processions take place as from 1630.

Lunfardo Expressions originally employed by the lower classes in the city of Buenos Aires and around. Many of its words and expressions were later popularised and widespread in the Spanish language employed in Argentina and Uruguay.

Lutite

Rocks of the Paleozoic period.

Also: ancient mud deposits harden over geological time to form siltstone or solid, mudrock lutites.

Majolica

Renaissance Italian pottery glazed, richly coloured, and ornamented; also, a modern imitation of it. (Webster's Dictionary)

Making the America

(“Hacerse la America”). Expression that, when used in Spanish, is used to refer to those who came to America with the hope of making abundant money.

Manuel Belgrano

Among others, when he was 23 years old he is designated the first Secretary of the Consulate. From there he decides to stimulate education.

Manuel Dorrego

(1787-1828) Argentine statesman and soldier. He was governor of Buenos Aires in 1820, and then again from 1827-1828.

Mapuche

Indigenous people who live in southern Chile and Argentina. The name Mapuche is composed of two parts: "Mapu", which means land, and "che", which means "people". Another word that is sometimes used is the Spanish word for the Mapuche and their language, which is "Araucano" (or in English, "Araucanian"). (More information)

Marcela Garrido

Museum expert, researcher and author of many research summaries mostly related to the Illuminated Block. She is a full member of the Institute bearing this name. Her father was Dr Jorge Enrique Garrido, Chief Notary of the Argentine Government and founder of the Institute of Historical Research on the Illuminated Block.

Maria Guerrero and Fernando Diaz de Mendoza

Spanish actors leading a cast with their names.

Mariano Moreno

Among others, Secretary of War and Government of the First Government of 1810. He created the first public library.

Martin Fierro Narrative poem by Jose Hernandez considered an example of the gaucho literary style in Argentina and Uruguay. It was published in 1872.

Masonry/ Freemasonry

Largest and most widely established fraternal order in the world devoted to general ideals, such as fraternity, equality, and peace.

Matara Altarpiece

The town of Matara is located in the province of Santiago del Estero and developed religious art with a strong influence of the Alto Peru.

Matara Cross

Made out of "mistol", a fibrous wood, found in the North of Argentina, Bolivia, Peru y Paraguay. It is an important testimony of a certain moment in history, its culture and religious movement.

Mate

Arg., Bol., Chile and Ur. Recipient used to drink an infusion made of mate herbs.

May Government

Group of men concerned about the Independence from Spanish domain after the British Invasion. The May Revolution that took place on the 25th of May of 1810 was the first step for the Independence that was achieved on the 16th of July of 1816.

May Revolution

25th of May of 1810 was the first step for Argentina’s Independence, which was achieved on the 16th of July of 1816.

Mayo Avenue

Projected around 1880 by the city’s first Mayor, Torcuato de Alvear, in order to link Mayo Square with the Congress.

Mayorazgo Hotel

The most important international hotel in the city of Parana, built in the middle of Urquiza’s Park.

Mazorca

Cob-corn. Society founded in Buenos Aires during the government of Rosas that committed awful atrocities. Its name is a mixture between "mazorca" and "mas horca" ("more gallow").

Mercedes Simone

(1904-1990): For many people, she was the most remarkable female tango singer. With her mezzo-soprano register, slow rhythm and perfect diction she became a pattern to follow. (More information)

Miguel Calo (1907–1972) He was not a remarkable composer, but some of his works, in collaboration with Osmar Maderna (both also authors of the lyrics), are incredibly beautiful, such as "Jamas retornaras" and "Que te importa que te llore", both committed to disc with Raul Beron's voice. The tango "Dos fracasos", with lyrics by Homero Exposito and the milonga "Cobrate y dame el vuelto", lyrics by Enrique Dizeo, were also very popular. (More information)

Miguel de Unamuno

(1864-1936) Spanish philosopher and writer considered one of the most remarkable modern-times intellectuals.

A plant where money is coined by authority of the government. (Websters Online Dictionary)

Miserere

Important square within the City of Buenos Aires; that used to be a stop for the carriages transporting food.

Mocoví

Person from a native American village belonging to the Guaicuru family living between the Bermejo and Salado rivers, in the North of Argentina.

Monk Mamerto Esquiu

Argentine monk and orator (1826-1883). He was the author of the valuable "Research on the Church and the State".

Monserrat

One of Buenos Aires neighbourhoods.

Monsignor Mariano Antonio Espinosa

(1844-1923) First bishop of the city of La Plata and Archbishop of the City of Buenos Aires. He accompanied Julio A. Roca in the dessert campaign. As a religious person he stood out because of the construction of churches, chapels and schools and for promoting the ecclesiastical studies.

Montepio

Charitable institution.

Mortar

Muzzle-loading indirect fire weapon that fires shells at low velocities, short ranges, and high-arcing ballistic trajectories. It typically has a barrel length less than 15 times its calibre.

Mulita

(Dasypus septemcinctus). Lesser Long-nosed Armadillo.

Municipal Architecture Award

The Government of the City of Buenos Aires promoted good quality buildings by encouraging both architects and constructors with annual awards until the late 40’s.

Municipal Bank of Loans

Currently, the Bank of the City (“Banco de la Ciudad”)

Mural Crown

Distinctive emblem of the nobility.

Murcia Tower

Related to the four towers of the Murcia’s flag.

Group of musicians playing in Carnival, who have developed a particular style in Uruguay.

National Organization Process

Name given to the period after the fall of Rosas (1852).

Neoclassical

Of or relating to a revival or adaptation of the classical style esp. in literature, art or music. (Webster’s Dictionary)

Neogothic Style

Gothic style performed outside its place of origin, France, and after its boom (between the XII and XVI centuries).

Nicolas Avellaneda

President of Argentina between 1874 and 1880.

Obras Sanitarias de la Nacion (OSN)

Argentine government company dedicated to the provision of the tap water service, sewer and rain water drainage; created in 1912 and dissolved in 1993, when all of the activities it performed were privatised.

Ogive

A diagonal arch or rib across a gothic vault. (Webster’s Dictionary) The author of this Basilica was evidently inspired in the famous Notre Dame at Paris.

Onyx

Chalcedony in parallel layers of different shades of colour. (Webster’s Dictionary)

Pablo Lucero

Brigadier-General born on November 17th, 1802. On November 19th, 1841, he was elected Governor of San Luis and re-elected for another five years in 1844.

Papier-mâché

A light strong molding material of wastepaper pulped with glue and other additives. (Webster’s Dictionary)

Patricians People who stands out in society because of their breed, wealth or virtues.

Pavon

Argentine River situated in the Province of Santa Fe. In its banks, General Mitre defeated General Urquiza in 1861.

Peat

The peat is formed by plants that decompose very slowly due to low temperatures, the lack of oxygen and the acidity of the accumulated water in it, stopping the activity of the bacteria. In order to economically exploit the peat it is necessary to drain the water first, stopping in this way the growth of the peat. The peat is used, among others, as a fertilizer, and as a means for cultivation in green houses.

Pedro Benoit

(1836-1897) Worked in numerous engineer, architectonic and topographic projects in Argentina.

Pedro de Cevallos

Spanish military (1716-1778), governor of Buenos Aires (1756-1766) and first Rio de la Plata Viceroy. He declared the freedom of trade in Argentina.

Peludo

Hairy armadillo from Argentina and Uruguay.

Pereyra Iraola

Argentine family characterised for breeding cows in their farms located in Tandil, Balcarce, Tres Arroyos, San Nicolas, as well as in the “San Juan” farm located in Quilmes, which is today the Pereyra Iraola Park.

Piazza

(It.) Square.

Pietro Mascagni

Italian composer (1863-1945). Cavalleria Rusticana was his main composition.

Plaiting

Interweaved strands or locks of braid.

Plateresque

Resembling silver plate; -- said of certain architectural ornaments. (Webster’s Online Dictionary)

Plow/ Plough

An implement used to cut, lift, and turn over soil esp. in preparing a seedbed. (Webster’s Dictionary)

Poncho

Simple garment used in the Andes region designed to keep the body warm, or if made from an impermeable material, to keep dry during rain.

Pony

One of any of several breeds of very small stocky animals (in this case, horses) noted for their gentleness and endurance.

Priest Ermenegildo Garcia

Spanish, priest of San Luis’ Capital Church during the years 1880-1885, as attested in  "400 years of San Luis’ Church ".

Priest Salvador Narvaez

While he was on his mission in Poman he started gathering archaeological material of the Western region of the Province of Catamarca, which he exhibited in the Franciscan Convent.

Professor Alberto Rex Gonzalez

Argentine archaeologist who found projectile lithic points associated to other lithic and bone remains dated by means of radiocarbon 14 from 6,000 B.C.

Protomedicato

(Examining Board of Physicians) Board that examined future doctors during the colonial times. Nowadays it is known as Faculty of Medicine.

Pterosaur

("winged lizard") Was a flying reptile. They existed from the late Triassic to the Cretaceous periods (from 228 to 65 million years ago). (More information)

Pulperia

Word used in some Latin-American countries for "Grocery Store". Store where goods such as wine, brandy, liquors were sold. It was also drugstore, peddlers ware, dry-goods store, etc.

Puntanos

Name given to the inhabitants of the city of San Luis, as it was founded at the foot of a hill called "of the point".

Quebracho

Species of trees that grow in the Great Chaco region of South America. These species provide tannin and a very hard, durable timber. The etymology of the name appears to be Spanish quiebrahacha, "axe-breaker".

Quechua

Official Inca's language spread along the vast South-American territory throughout the extension of their empire.

Rabbit's Valley

Region located on the side of one of the hills, where rabbits have reproduced to the extreme that they can be found by thousands on the path that leads to the lagoons.

Radiocarbon 14

Method for the determination of the age of rocks and minerals. Through the application of this method geologists can decode the 4,600 million years existence of the Earth.

Reed

Stem that is used for making the roofs of houses.

Residence

(Sp. Residencia) Name given to San Telmo neighbourhood during the 19th century.

Respond

An engaged pillar supporting an arch or closing a colonnade or arcade. (Webster's Dictionary)

Ricardo Guiraldes

(1886-1927) Argentine novelist and poet, particularly known for his 1926 novel Don Segundo Sombra.

Ricardo Rojas

(1882 - 1957) Argentine writer. He studied in Santiago del Estero and was a journalist, Spanish Literature professor and director of the University of Buenos Aires (1926-1930).

Ring horseracing

To get a spear or a small stick through a ring hanging from a string while riding either on horseback or on a bicycle.

Rio Gallegos

Capital city of the province of Santa Cruz, located in the Southern coast of the Gallegos River, 18 Km. away from the sea- mouth of the river.

Roadstead Noun. A partly sheltered anchorage. (More information)
Robert de Sorbon (1201 –1274) French theologian and founder of the Sorbonne college in Paris. Sorbon began to teach around 1253 and in 1257 established the Maison de Sorbonne, a college in Paris originally intended to teach theology to twenty poor students. It was sponsored by King Louis and received the endorsement of Pope Alexander IV in 1259.

Rodolfo Medina

Argentine sculptor of the “new generation”.

Rogelio de Yrurtia (1879-1950) One of Argentina’s most important sculptors. His main work was “An Ode to Work”.

Roque Saenz Peña

President of Argentina between 1910 y 1914.

Saavedra

(Alvaro) Spanish sailor of the XVI century who travelled with Cortes.

Saddle pad

“Recado” has been translated as “Saddle pad”. In Argentina, “recado” is a group of implements composing the saddle used by the countrymen.

Sainete (one-act farce)

(Argentina) Small dramatic play on a humorous subject.

Saint Mark’s Lion (Winged-Lion)

Symbol of Venice, Italy.

Saint Michael’s Church

Famous for its decoration and images, it’s one of the oldest Churches in Buenos Aires.

Santo Turibius of Mongrovejo

(1538 - 1606) was a Spanish judge of the court of the Inquisition and missionary Archbishop of Lima from the Spanish nobility.

Salting House

Place where both meat and fish are salted.

San Antonio de Areco

In the XVII century the river bearing this name was already known as Areco. From that moment on, the territory constituting the basin of the river was known as ARECO´s AREA.

San Lorenzo’s Combat

(1813) First victory of San Martin in American territory.

San Pedro Telmo

(1185-1246) Spanish clergyman, confessor and protecting saint of the sailors. He was said to calm storms down by just lifting a cross to it. He is the saint of San Telmo neighbourhood’s church in the City of Buenos Aires.

Santamariana

Culture named after the place where it developed, Santa Maria in Catamarca.

Scape

The small concave curve at the top or bottom of the shaft of a column where it joins the capital or base. (Webster’s Dictionary)

Selk'nam

(also known as Onas) Inhabitants of the Island of Tierra del Fuego who lived according to their old traditions when, in 1880, the white men began to colonise their territory. They were hunters of Guanacos, rodents, foxes and birds. They collected shellfish and eatable plants and fished in rivers, lakes and alongside the Island coast. Their descendants have mixed themselves with the white population.

Shaft

Part of the column between the capital and the base.

Silvia Alabama

Archaeologists researching the Sierra de las Quijadas territory. Her final research on the subject was published in 1989.

Small Temple

Small frame in the shape of a temple to cover a little image or, as in this case, an old building for its preservation.

Sobremonte

Spanish General (1745-1827). Viceroy of the Rio de la Plata (River Plate) between 1804 and 1806. When England defeated Buenos Aires, he escaped taking the Public Treasury with him. He was forced to refund it on his return. When the Second English Invasion to the Viceroyalty of the River Plate took place (1807), he was removed and incarcerated.

Solomonic Column

Helical column, characterized by a spiralling twisting shaft like a corkscrew.

Spin

To draw out and twist fibber into yarn or thread. (Webster’s Dictionary)

Spindle

a round stick with tapered ends used to form and twist the yarn in hand spinning. (Webster’s Dictionary)

Stereoscopic Camera

Type of camera with two or more lenses in order to simulate human binocular vision, and capture three-dimensional images. The distance between the lenses in a stereo camera is about the distance between one's eyes.

Suri

One of the names given to the American Rhea.

Tarantella A lively whirling Italian dance for two persons.

The Mosquito

Popular Argentine political-satire publication. Copies can still be found in bookstores specialized in old publications.

Thomas Alva Edison

Inventor from the United States, who invented, among other works, an "apparel to record sounds".

Tiahuanaco culture

The Tiwanaku culture (Bolivia), or Tiahuanaco (Peru) is an important pre-Columbian that was located in what today is the frontier between Peru and Bolivia.

Toba

Indigenous people from the Paraguayan-Chaco border. Divided in numerous tribes, some of them still subsist in Colombia, Bolivia and Panama.

Tomas de Rocamora

(1740 –1819) Politician, and military person founder of several cities in the province of Entre Rios, Argentina.

Tosca

Five acts drama by V. Sardou (1887). Giacosa and Ilica made an opera script in three acts that was represented with Puccini’s music in 1903.

Town Hall

(Sp. Cabildo). Place where the Town’s Council gathered.

Tradition Day

Celebrated every 10th of November in Argentina in the memory of the birth of “Jose Hernandez”, poet, author of the book “Martin Fierro”.

Transept

The part of a cruciform church that crosses at right angles to the greatest length between the nave and the apse or choir. (Webster’s Dictionary)

Troop

A flock of mammals or birds. (Webster’s Dictionary)

University of Alcala de Henares

Its facade is a remarkable testimony of XVI th century Spanish plateresque.

Urquiza’s Park Important park located next to the riverside in the City of Parana, province of Entre Rios.
Ushuaia

Capital city of the National Territory of Tierra del Fuego, Antartica and Southern Atlantic Islands. It is considered to be the world's second (or first)-southernmost city.

Vane

Flat surface that rotates and pushes against air or water. (Webster’s Online Dictionary)

Vaslav Nijinsky

Russian dancer (1890 - 1950). He inaugurated several famous ballets. While in Buenos Aires, he married his prima ballerina, later known as Romola Nijinsky.

Vendetta

Promise of total revenge.

Venice

Continental Italian City, built on a group of small islands in the middle of the Adriatic lagoons.

Vicente Casares

Lead the modernization of the milk producers in Argentina in the 19th century.

Viceroy

A royal official who governs a country or province in the name of and as representative of the monarch.

Victrola

Disc player.

Virginio Colombo

Italian architect who arrived in Buenos Aires in the beginning of the 20th century.

War with Paraguay: Paraguayan War: War of the Triple Alliance

Fought from 1864 to 1870, and caused more deaths than any other South American war. It was fought between Paraguay and the allied countries of Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay.

Winch Lifting device consisting of a horizontal cylinder turned by a crank on which a cable or rope winds. (Webster’s Online Dictionary)

Yamanas

(also known as Yaghans) Inhabitants of the southwest coast of the Beagle Channel, between Brecknock Peninsula and Sloggett Bay; and the islands surrounding that area up to Cape Horn. They still lived according to their old traditions when, in 1880, the white men began to colonise their territory. They travelled in canoes; and lived from hunting sea mammals and collecting shellfish. Some direct descendants of the Yamanas live in the Magellan Province in Chile.

Yarara

(Bothrops alternatus). Venomous pitviper species found in Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and Argentina.

Yellow Fever or Black Vomit

Acute viral disease. It is an important cause of hemorrhagic illness in many African and South American countries. (More information)

Yungulo

Last tribal chief of the Comechingones (first half of the XVIth century).

 

Copyright © 2009 www.argentinaparamirar.com.ar

Prohibida su reproducción total o parcial. Derechos de Autor 743247 Ley 11723.