Pre-Argentina

Before the Europeans came along in the 1500's, Argentina was inhabited by indigenous tribes like the Diaguita, the Mapuche and the Guaraní.

The MapucheThe Diaguita

Diaguita woman today

The Inca Empire invaded Northwest Argentina in 1480, under the guidance of Pachacutec, whose name means "He who remakes the world". (He is believed to have been a contemporary during the rise of Manchu Picchu in Peru.)

Battle against the Incas

The native peoples of the land were able to resist Spanish settlement n Buenos Aires until 1580, even then Argentina remained rugged for 200 year.


This delay is due to the unification of indigenous people. They avoided being used for European labor by developing large cattle ranches in Pantagonia, know as Haciendas, where they lived and worked together.

Modern ranchers in Pantagonia

Gauchos, a South American version of the North American cowboy, came to be as these ranchlands needed protection and workers to thrive.

Gaucho- 1800s