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Esteban Echeverría District (Buenos Aires Province, Argentina)

Partido de Esteban Echeverría

Last modified: 2016-12-20 by francisco gregoric
Keywords: esteban echeverría | echeverría (esteban) | partido de esteban echeverría |
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[Flag of Esteban Echeverria]
image by Ivan Sache, 28 Jul 2015
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About the district

The District of Esteban Echeverría (298,814 inhabitants in 2010; 39,082 ha) is located 30 km due south of Buenos Aires City. The municipality includes the towns of Monte Grande (capital; 109,644 inh.), Nueve de Abril (40,609 inh.), Canning (8,595 inh.; shared with the district of Ezeiza), El Jagüel (48,781 inh.) and Luis Guillón (38,068 inh.)

The district was established on 9 April 1913, separating from Lomas de Zamora. The municipal independence was pushed by the Santamarina family. According to the historian Carlos Liotta, the independentist feelings arouse from the "lack of means of communication", "distance", and aspiration of the inhabitants to have "a place of their own". Monte Grande, which had been established as a town 24 years before and had been the stronghold of the independentist movement, was made the capital of the new district.

The district is named for the Argentine writer Esteban Echeverría (1805-1851). Born form an Argentine mother and a Spanish Basque father, Echeverría went to Europe to complete his studies, compromised in Argentina by its dissolute youth. During his stay in Paris (1825-1830), he read a lot of books in French and English, which prompted him to introduce romanticism in Buenos Aires. His collections of poems, "Consuelos" (1834) and "Rimas" (1637, including "La Cautiva", his most famous poem ever) were warmly received. Echeverría became a familiar of the salon established by Marco Sastre (1808-1887) in his bookshop. After the closure of the salon by the dictator Juan Manuel de Rosas (1793-1877), the poet founded on 8 July 1838 a secrete society, "Asociación de Mayo" (May Association), modelled on Mazzini's "Giovine Italia" (Young Italy); the society had branches in the Provinces of Córdoba, Tucumán and San Juan. Most politicians who would reorganize the Republic as a liberal democracy after the defeat of Rosas in the battle of Caseros (3 February 1852) were members of the society. Their political principles ("Dogma Socialista"), strongly influenced by Echeverría, were published on 1 January 1839 in "El Indicador", a newspaper of Montevideo, and reprinted in 1846, with some modifications. Echeverría's political involvement forced him to exile in Uruguay in 1840. His complete works were edited decades after his death by his friend Juan María Gutiérrez (1809-1878) and published in Buenos Aires (1870-1874).

Ivan Sache 28 Jul 2015

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Description of the flag

The flag of Esteban Echeverría is vertically divided blue-white with a tree emblem, outlined in golden yellow in the middle. The flag was designed by Gustavo Tombesi. Born in Luis Guillón Tombesi works in Lomas de Zamora; he was member of the jury that selected the flag of Lomas de Zamora in 2011.

The white field represents the purity of air; before urbanization, the place was famous for its big mountain, the capital's namesake ("monte grande", "a big mountain"). White is also a symbol of security and faith.

The blue field represents the "celestial sky"; together with the white stripe, it refers to the homeland.

On the flag's vertical axis is placed a plantlet looking like a five- leaved tala* seedling, the autochthonous tree. The leaves are orange, "the colour of strength and resistance". The five leaves represent "the increase of the five powerful settlements of the district". The plantlet is superimposed to a green, five-branched tree, symbolizing "the great mounts at the origin of the district".

Beneath the tree are placed two golden yellow quills, representing "the high ideals, wisdom and knowledge" of the Romantic writer Esteban Echeverría, the district's namesake. Located between the two quills, a golden yellow gear wheel, pierced with five holes, represents the industrial tradition of each of the five settlements forming the district. Golden yellow is a symbol of the sun, abundance, wealth and power.

    *The tala (_Celtis tala_ Gillies ex Planch.) is a deciduous tree commonly found in Gran Chaco and in the Argentinean pampas. A mere coincidence or not, Esteban Echeverría's estate, located near Luján, was called Los Talas.
Ivan Sache, 28 Jul 2015


Flag contest

The flag was selected in a public contest announced on 9 April 2013 (the centenary of the municipality). The proposed designs were expected to represent all the citizens of the municipality and its five constituting settlements. Moreover, the proposals were expected to highlight the distinctive characteristics of the district, such as industrial and rural activities, as well as its history and traditions, and to reflect its values, such as commitment to work and strength.

The contest, which ended on 9 June 2015, yielded 1,043 submissions (much more than expected), which were shown in an educational institute. A first short-list of 13 proposals was established by a commission composed of members of the Municipal Council, of the School Council, of the Centenary Council, and Aníbal Gotelli (President of the CIDEC). On 2 July 2015, registered representatives of the schools and local institutions selected three finalist designs. Proposals No. 183, No. 176 and No. 181 obtained 52, 44, and 41 votes, respectively, out of more than 300 votes.

Proposal No. 176

[Flag of Esteban Echeverria]
image by Ivan Sache, 28 Jul 2015

It was eventually elected the flag of Esteban Echeverría on 9 July 2015, obtaining 40.3% of the more than 150 votes - the election was open to all citizens of the district.

Proposal No. 181

[Esteban Echeverria flag proposal]
image by Ivan Sache, 28 Jul 2015

It is horizontally divided green-dark green-red (c. 2:2:1) with curvy limits between the stripes. In the middle is placed the municipal emblem made of three leaves, the central dark green and the outer green, inscribed in a rising red sun fimbriated white. Beneath the emblem is placed an open book with a blue-white-blue bookmark.

Proposal No. 183

[Esteban Echeverria flag proposal]
image by Ivan Sache, 28 Jul 2015

It is horizontally divided green-dark green. In the middle is placed an emblem made, in the upper part of 13 orange leaves and, in its lower part of half a mill wheel and half a cog wheel, the lower inner half part of the emblem being white, all over the same book as in proposal No. 181.

Ivan Sache, 28 Jul 2015

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