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A Short History of Argentina

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In the beginning of 1500, before Argentina existed as a country, Spaniards arrived to the land seeking world, silver and other treasures.

The first navigator who arrived was Juan Díaz de Solís in 1516. He did in a fight with the natives shortly after his arrival.

In 1520 Fernando de Magallanes stopped for a short while during one of his voyages around the world. He died during the trip

Sebastián Cabot arrived in 1526, naming Rio de la Plata in hopes that it would make him wealthy. Cabo found neither treasures nor wealth, however he was fortunate to returne tho his homeland safely.

Even though the Spanish navigators did not find wealth, they claimed the territory for their king. During 300 years Argentina, as well as most of South America, was a Spanish territory.

Thousands of Spanish settlers arrived to build houses, forts, mines and ports. The founded the city of Buenos Aires, which today is the capital of Argentina.

The Spanish integrated Argentina into their system by establishing the Vice Royalty of Rio de la Plata in and Buenos Aires became a flourishing port.

In 1806 British forces arrived the land, but their invasion failed. That boosted the confidence of the colonists who sought independence from Spain. Buenos Aires formally declared independence from Spain on July 9, 1816.