See the Preface to the "Italian Experience in Brazil"
Italian Experience in Argentina
Argentina. South America's second-largest country at just over one million square miles - about the size of Mexico and Texas combined - it depended heavily for development on Europeans, who account for at least 85 percent of its population.
Since its unification as a country and before, Argentine rulers intended the country to welcome productive immigration, albeit selectively. Article 25 of the 1853 Constitution reads: "The Federal Government will encourage European immigration, ..."and it will not restrict, limit or burden with any taxes the entrance into Argentine territory of foreigners who come with the goal of working the land, improving the industries and teach the sciences and the arts.
The liberal rulers of the late 19th century saw immigration as the possibility of bringing people from supposedly more civilized, enlightened countries into a sparsely populated land, thus diminishing the influence of aboriginal elements and turning Argentina into a modern society with a dynamic economy. However, immigrants did not only bring their knowledge and skills.
The majority of immigrants, since the 19th century, came from Europe, mostly from Italy (1,5 million) and Spain (1,4 million)with a substantial influx of British and Germans. . Between 1860 and 1930, newcomers from Italy and Spain accounted for 80% of the total immigration.
Colonized by the Spanish, Argentina declared its independence in 1816 and by the end of the century was one of the richest countries in the world. British money paid for the construction of national ports and railroads, and immigrants from Italy and Spain provided the labor. Livestock and mining brought wealth. The lavish Colon Theatre in Buenos Aires, one of the world's great opera houses, opened in 1908 with Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi's Aida.
After an 1880s wave of newcomers to the United States led to anti-immigrant feelings there, many Italians moved instead to Argentina between 1900 and 1930, and Buenos Aires took on a decidedly Italian flavor. In 1905, 40 percent of the city's population was of Italian origin. Today, Italian-language television is almost as prevalent as Spanish TV in some regions.
"Immigration totally changed us and formed a new culture. These European roots made us very different than the rest of Latin America," said Mario Santillio, director of the Center for Latin American Migration Studies in Buenos Aires.
Santillio said three million immigrants entered Argentina between 1882 and 1927 by official estimates, but ship records and other data suggest the number was closer to five million. An estimated one million - a third of all documented immigrants - came from Italy. The 1991 census found that more than six million people - about a fifth of the population - were of Italian descent. Now many of these Argentines are forced to make the same tough choice their ancestors once did.
Argentine popular culture, specially in the R?o de la Plata basin, was heavily marked by Italian and Spanish immigration.
Post-independence national politics tried to steer Argentina consistently away from identification with monarchical Spain, perceived as backward and ultraconservative, towards progressive models like France or the United States.
Italian influence is more visible. Lunfardo, the jargon enshrined in tango lyrics, is ladden with Italianisms, often also found in the mainstream colloquial dialect (Rioplatense Spanish). Common dishes in the central area of the country have Italian names and origins.
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