Read down for an introduction to the history of Argentina.
Much of Argentina's fascinating history is visible on a visit to the country today, not only in colonial architecture and the 19th-century artefacts which fill the museums but in the culture and customs of everyday life. Many towns in the Pampas of Buenos Aires province are just as they were in the 19th century, such as San Antonio de Areco and Chascomús, where the traditions of a lively gaucho culture are still maintained.
The lives of early pioneers can be explored in the Welsh towns of Gaiman and Trevelin in Patagonia and in the more remote estancias throughout the country. Córdoba's history of Jesuit occupation is visible in many buildings in the city and estancias in the province. And in the northwest of Argentina that you'll find the richest evidence of the country's history. This is where the Spanish first arrived in the 16th century, and before them the Incas in the early 15th century, and both have left their mark in colonial architecture and intriguing archaeological evidence.
Long before these invasions, the present day provinces of Salta, Catamarca, Tucumán and Jujuy were inhabited by many sophisticated indigenous cultures whose ruined cities can be visited at Santa Rosa de Tastil, Tilcara and Quilmes, and whose beautiful ceramics fill the area's many museums. This is the most rewarding part of the country to visit if you're interested in exploring Argentina's past.
