Produced by Adrian Mastronardi and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.) ARGENTINA AND HER PEOPLE OF TO-DAY Works of NEVIN O. WINTER Mexico and Her People of To-day $3.00 Guatemala and Her People of To-day 3.00 Brazil and Her People of To-day 3.00 Argentina and Her People of To-day 3.00 L. C. PAGE & COMPANY 53 Beacon Street, Boston, Mass. [Illustration: PLAZA DE MAYO, BUENOS AIRES (_See page 35_)] ARGENTINA AND HER PEOPLE OF TO-DAY AN ACCOUNT OF THE CUSTOMS, CHARACTERISTICS, AMUSEMENTS, HISTORY AND ADVANCEMENT OF THE ARGENTINIANS, AND THE DEVELOPMENT AND RESOURCES OF THEIR COUNTRY BY NEVIN O. WINTER Author of “Mexico and Her People of To-day,” “Guatemala and Her People of To-day,” “Brazil and Her People of To-day,” etc. ILLUSTRATED FROM ORIGINAL AND SELECTED PHOTOGRAPHS BY THE AUTHOR [Illustration] BOSTON L. C. PAGE AND COMPANY MDCCCCXI _Copyright, 1911_, BY L. C. PAGE & COMPANY (INCORPORATED) _All rights reserved_ First Impression, April, 1911 _Electrotyped and Printed by THE COLONIAL PRESS C. H. Simonds & Co., Boston, U.S.A._ TO Elizabeth Eleanor AND Charles Winter Coyle PREFACE The Spaniards who first visited the coast of Argentina, and sailed up the broad and imposing river that empties into the Atlantic Ocean, were so impressed with the outlook and prospects, that they named the country Argentina, which means silvery or silver-like, and bestowed upon the majestic stream the name Rio de La Plata, which means river of silver. When their prospectors failed to find the great deposits of gold and silver, which had been described to them by the natives, this province lost much of its importance, and soon dwindled into comparative insignificance. The city, which was founded near the mouth of that river, continued for more than two centuries a comparatively unimportant place.