A team from the Institute for Regional Socio-Historical Research (Conicet-UNR) compiled and published documents on the origins of Rosario in 1725.
Maps, council minutes, censuses and registers, travel and campaign diaries are some of the documents about the origins of Rosario that researchers from ISHIR (Conicet-UNR) compiled, transcribed and published in a new website of the Municipality of Rosario.
The project, coordinated by the Director of the Darío Barriera Institute and developed by Dr. Miriam Moriconi, Guillermo Ferragutti, and historian Pablo Suárez, aims to make these documents directly available to those interested in the city's past. The selection of materials provides insight into the process by which the first land allocation and subdivision became a small hamlet that grew to become a town.
The oldest documentation refers to the lands we stand on today. It concerns a land grant (a type of property title) received by Luis Romero de Pineda in 1689. There are also minutes from the Santa Fe city council that refer to the population migrating south. And others where Mayor Francisco de Frías is named for Pago de los Arroyos and asks what jurisdiction he is being granted.
Additionally, there are maps that appeared in the National Library of France, where Pago de los Arroyos is mentioned, meaning it was already part of international cartography. There are also some land ownership distribution plans from the late 18th century. Among the texts, one by Calixto Lassaga stands out, proposed in 1925 to argue for the need to commemorate the city's bicentennial.
Each historical document is accompanied by a brief overview and a minimal bibliography to guide those who wish to follow the thread of each of the specific topics and contribute to a better understanding of a period that gained ground in public interest since the city's 300th anniversary celebrations.
Unlike colonial cities, Rosario was not founded. “It received the title of city in 1852 (although its first authority, the Political Chief, was appointed only in 1854), which does not mean that it does not have a rich history with important events in the 1720s,” says Barriera, clarifying that facilitating this access does not mean stopping the reading of Rosario's great histories, especially that of Juan Alvarez which was republished last year by the publishers of the Municipality of Rosario and the Universidad Nacional de Rosario.
For professional historians, the best way to construct a narrative consistent with the evidence is through documents that, when transformed into compelling clues or evidence, support their interpretations. Historical science works with assertions that are constantly under discussion.
"The past changes because interpretations change," Barriera reflects, explaining that the training of historians means they have increasingly more resources to critically interpret what are often the same documents. That is, different, even opposing, interpretations can be offered on the same documentary basis.
This happens because many factors come into play in an interpretation, not only the preparation for reading the documents, but also the ideological and political perspective. "Historical interpretation is not a dispassionate and uninformed analysis of what is happening in society," the researcher emphasizes. "On the contrary, it is deeply influenced by what we are experiencing, by the conditions of historical knowledge production, and therefore its nature is to be polemical." He emphasizes: "It is exciting and provisional, such that each generation, although unable to change what happened, rewrites its interpretations of the past."
This project provides concrete information about a little-known period in history, thus highlighting the city's well-known and lesser-known documents. "Those who feel part of it will appreciate the opportunity to delve into a deeper history where they will find names that are familiar to them, but whose presence in urban toponymy may not be obvious to them," says Barriera.
For the Director of ISHIR, scientific communication and historical dissemination, at all levels, are part of the responsibilities of his profession, a commitment to the present. He considers collaborating with institutions that generate history policies a duty. "We cannot hide our pride in participating in a program whose greatest merit is the inclusion of diverse voices, respectful of science and popular knowledge, because this is the true path to building a plural and, therefore, more solid historical memory."
Regarding the current work environment, he maintained that the withdrawal of subsidies for research and attending conferences and meetings has put a brake on the normal development of scientific activity, and the negative consequences are already being felt. "The current picture may be blurry or poor, but the tragic picture will emerge in a few years because there is very little chance of a scientific system surviving if it doesn't invest in the training of future scientists."
However, as always happens in Argentina in these situations, collaboration among other department directors and staff emerges to help resolve various issues. "This is also part of the wonder of our community, which is not only resilient but strong and supportive in times of adversity."
Journalist: Victoria Arrabal/Photographer: Karen Roeschlin