Córdoba

Córdoba, city, among the largest in Argentina, and capital of Córdoba provincia (province). It lies on the Primero River along the northwest perimeter of the Pampas, where the foothills of the Córdoba Mountains meet the plains, 1,440 feet (472 metres) above sea level.

The city was founded in June 1573 by Jerónimo Luis de Cabrera, then governor of Tucumán, who named it Córdoba de la Nueva Andalucía (Córdoba of the New Andalusia), for the city and region of that name in Spain. The location of Córdoba, between the coast and the interior settlements, played an important role in its early development. The city, as part of the Viceroyalty of Peru, began to prosper and by the end of the 17th century had become the wealthiest city in Tucumán. In 1599 Jesuits settled in the city to teach and work with Indians, and in 1613 they founded the first university in the country, the University of Córdoba (Universidad Nacional de Córdoba; UNC).

Córdoba’s economy began to suffer with the creation in 1776 of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata (embracing the area of modern Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, and southern Bolivia), with its capital at Buenos Aires, and Córdoba subsequently opposed the imposition of a strong central government based in Buenos Aires. This opposition persisted until the 1860s, causing numerous incidents of violence.

Córdoba’s commercial growth and industry were stimulated by the completion of rail connections with the east (1869) and the building on the Primero River in 1866 of San Roque Dam, one of South America’s earliest large dams. The lake impounded by the dam, which has since been improved, supplies Córdoba with water, irrigates orchards and grain fields, and is the source of hydroelectric power for the city’s leather, textile, automotive, glass, and food-processing factories.

The city’s religious conservatism and loyalty to the Roman Catholic Church caused Córdoba to remain a centre of conservative ideas during the 19th and early 20th centuries. In the 1880s the city strongly opposed the institution of laws that would secularize education.

During the 20th century the city was also a centre of labour activism; after 1912 Córdoba came under the influence of the Radicals, reflecting the size of Argentina’s growing industrial workforce. In 1955 Gen. Eduardo Lonardi’s capture of Córdoba initiated the downfall of President Juan Perón. In 1969 demonstrations by students and organized labour destabilized the military dictatorship of Gen. Juan Carlos Onganía. These student and labour conflicts became known as the Cordobazo.

Córdoba’s rich colonial inheritance is displayed by the old cabildo (town council chamber), the viceroy’s palace (18th century), the cathedral (1758), the University of Córdoba, and the church and convent of Santa Teresa (begun 1714). Those and other historic buildings in and around the city collectively were designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2000. The Plaza San Martín commemorates the liberator of Argentina. Owing to its history and to summer resorts in the nearby sierras (mountains), Córdoba has developed a thriving tourist trade. It is the railway and highway hub of central Argentina, linking the Pampas with important centres of the northwest. Pajas Blancas is a modern airport close to the city. Pop. (2001) 1,267,521; (2010) 1,329,604.