Some say Amerigo Vespucci first discovered the Rio de la Plata at the turn of the 16th century, others say his explorations merely served to inspire others but for sure the first Spanish explorers landed on the banks of the Rio de la Plata in 1516 though the first settlement wasn’t established until 1536, of which very little remains today.

The city takes its name in honor of the then patron saint of Spanish and Portuguese sailors, Santa Maria de Buen Aire (good wind), who first landed here. They named the river, believing they would find silver and gold on the land through which it flowed. Subsequently, the Spanish, who never discovered any precious metals in Argentina, continued to trade through the port of Lima in Peru, which is why Buenos Aires remained nothing more than a military outpost and a smugglers’ port. Finally, over 200 years later, in 1776 Spain conceded to create the Viceroyalty of Rio de la Plata designating Buenos Aires its capital. Transatlantic trade routes opened up, particularly with Europe, and the city started to flourish like never before.

In 1810 the Viceroyalty established autonomous rule declaring Argentina independent in 1816 after it lost faith in the abilities of King Ferdinand VII of Spain. However, it was to be another 70 years before Buenos Aires was made the federal capital of Argentina. By 1900, after the introduction of railways, steamships, refrigeration and with the arrival of several thousand immigrants, Buenos Aires had become the largest city in South America. The rest is political history.