San Miguel de Tucumán

San Miguel de Tucumán
(From top to bottom; from left to right) Aerial view of the city; Nacional University of Tucumán; Independence House; Tucumán Government House and the Tucumán Cathedral.
Coat of arms
San Miguel de Tucumán
Coordinates: 26°49′59.00″S 65°13′00″W
Country	Argentina
Established	1565, 1682
Government
• Intendant	Domingo Amaya
Area
• City	90 km2 (34.88 sq mi)
• Metro	480 km2 (209.3 sq mi)
Elevation	431 m (1,300 ft)
Population (2009 est.)
• City	527,607
• Metro	830,000
Time zone	ART (UTC−3)
Website	http://www.tucuman.gov.ar/

San Miguel de Tucumán (usually referred to as simply Tucumán) is the capital of the Tucumán Province, located in northern Argentina at 1,311 kilometres (815 mi) from Buenos Aires. It is the fifth biggest city of Argentina after Buenos Aires, Córdoba, Rosario and Mendoza, and it is also the most important city of Northern Argentina. It was founded in 1565 by Spanish Conquistador Diego de Villarroel during an expedition from Peru, and was moved to its present site in 1685.

Overview

Partial view of downtown

Ninth of July Park

The city is bordered on the north by Las Talitas (Tafí Viejo), on the east by Banda del Río Salí and Alderetes (Cruz Alta), on the west by the city of Yerba Buena, and on the south by Lules.

The city sits on the slopes of the Aconquija mountains, the easternmost mountain range before the large Chaco-Pampean flats. It is the commercial center of an irrigated area that produces large quantities of sugarcane, rice, tobacco, and fruit, and provides the province with its nickname, the Garden of the Republic. The National University of Tucumán (1914) and the Saint Thomas Aquinas University of the North (1965) are in the city.

On July 9, 1816, a congress gathered in Tucumán declared independence from Spain, which did not officially recognize it until 1862. The meeting place of the congress, the House of Tucumán, has been reconstructed as a national monument.

Its telephone code is 0381, and its postal codes are T4000 (Center), T4001 (North), T4002 (South) and T4003 (East).

Climate

San Miguel de Tucuman lies in a transition zone between temperate climates to the south, and subtropical climates to the north. Summers are hot and long, falls arrive relatively late, winters are extremely dry and pleasant, and springs tend to be hot and dry, becoming more humid later. The precipitation pattern is monsoonal: out of the 848 mm (33.4 in) that fall annually, 667 mm (26.2 in) fall in the hottest 5 months, the other 7 being essentially dry.

In the summer, one can expect daytime highs ranging from 30°C (86F) to 35°C (95F) with very high humidity; at night, 18°C (64F) to 23°C (73F) are the norm. Heat waves are frequent, and bring temperatures up to 40°C (104F); however, some relief is possible after cold fronts, which are less usual than further south, or during intense precipitation.

April marks the beginning of the fall, but temperatures remain warm: 21°C to 27°C (70F to 81F) during the day, and 12°C to 18°C (54F to 64F) at night, with less rainfall. Winter is short and relatively mild; days usually average 15°C (59F) to 21°C (70F) and nights go from 4°C (39F) to 10°C (50F). Winter warm spells with days up to 30°C (86F) are common, as well as cold waves that keep afternoon temperatures around 10°C (50F). Frost can occur in the winter but is usually light, almost always above -2°C (28F). Snow is extremely rare, but in 2007, it reached the city centre. There have been other episodes of sleet and snow in the mountains around the city, and in 2010, sleet was reported downtown again, a very rare event.

Springs are very short, and by October, summer weather settles in the city, with highs beyond 30°C (86F) very common. This is due to the dryness of the season: daytime highs are close to those in the summer, when rainfall and clouds are persistent, whereas spring is often sunny and arid.

San Miguel de Tucumán
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D     170   31 18     150   29 17     140   27 16     53   24 13     24   22 10     12   18 6     9   20 4     8   22 6     13   25 9     53   28 13     91   29 16     124   31 18 Average max. and min. temperatures in °C Precipitation totals in mm Source: World Climate Guide
Imperial conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D     6.7   88 64     5.9   84 63     5.5   81 61     2.1   75 55     0.9   72 50     0.5   64 43     0.4   68 39     0.3   72 43     0.5   77 48     2.1   82 55     3.6   84 61     4.9   88 64 Average max. and min. temperatures in °F Precipitation totals in inches

Main sights

Tucumán: Baroque colonial-era door

• Independence House
• Tucumán Government Palace
• Ninth of July Park
• Timoteo Navarro Museum of Art
• Cementerio del Oeste
• President Avellaneda's House
• Independence Square
• Museum of Northern Folklore
• Federación Económica Building
• Padilla House
• San Francisco Basilica
• Cathedral
• Museum of Sacred Art
• La Merced Church

Cultural life and education

Tucumán: La Merced Church

Temple of St. Francis

For decades, San Miguel de Tucumán has been one of the most outstanding cultural spots in the country, in part, due to the influence of the prestigious National University of Tucumán. It has been the birthplace and/or the home of well-known personalities such as folk singer Mercedes Sosa, Rutgers University literature professor and noted author Tomas Eloy Martínez, musician Miguel Ángel Estrella, artist/architect Tomás Saraceno, botanist Miguel Lillo, painter Luis Lobo de la Vega, and many others.

Two large theaters (San Martín and Alberdi) and several smaller and independent theaters offer a wide array of events, including plays, concerts, operas, and ballet, all year round. The Septiembre Musical is by far the most important cultural event during the year. This music festival, generally held at Independence Square, brings together several local and national artists who perform different musical styles ranging from folk music to rock.

There are two public universities in the city, the National University of Tucumán and the National Technological University, and two private ones, the Saint Thomas Aquinas University of the North and the Saint Paul T University.

The city, since August 2008, has witnessed trials against high-ranking war criminals from the 1976–83 dictatorship. Luciano Menéndez, a former colonel, was convicted for crimes against humanity including the kidnapping and disappearance of a senator (Guillermo Vargas Aignasse) on the night of the golpe (coup). Many Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo have been seen in and around the Tucumán trials. The Menéndez and Ricardo Bussi trials were the first convictions against any military leaders of the dictatorship of Jorge Rafael Videla. The two condemnations were seen as symbolic victories for the mothers and grandmothers whose sons and husbands were disappeared by the military during that dark period of Argentine history.

Sports

San Martín Street in the 1920s, then known as Las Heras

Tucumán Cathedral and Independence Square

As in the rest of Argentina, association football is the favourite sport in the city. San Miguel's main football clubs are Club Atlético San Martín de Tucumán and Club Atlético Tucumán.

The city is also a rugby union hotbed and hosts the Unión de Rugby de Tucumán, as well as the province's two best clubs Tucumán Rugby Club and Universitario Tucumán. The Rugby of Tucumán is, indubious, the second powerful in the Argentine, behind the Rugby of the Buenos Aires Union. For eight times, the "Naranjas" (Oranges) by the colour of its jerseys, won the Argentine Championship of Unions that is the greatest number of times where hinterland unions won these championship. Other importants Rugby Clubs of the city are the Cardenales R.C., the Natación y Gimnasia R.C. Los Tarcos R.C. and others. The fans of the Rugby of Tucumán are the most passionate among the Argentine, almost "soccer fans" but with the behaviour own of the Rugby peoples.

Transport

The city is served by several bus lines that have routes within the city limits, and some others that connect it to the neighbouring cities of Yerba Buena, El Manantial, Tafí Viejo, Las Talitas, Banda del Río Salí, and Alderetes.

The Teniente General Benjamín Matienzo International Airport (TUC/SANT) is the city's airport (though located 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) east of the city, in the neighboring department of Cruz Alta) serving over 290,000 passengers a year. There are daily flights to Buenos Aires, Jujuy, Santiago del Estero, Campo Arenal, the Minera Alumbrera Gold Mine, as well as international flghts to Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia. The Mauricio Gilli Aerodrome is a Private Airport, located 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) west from the city, for Private Aviation. It is locally known as Aeroclub.

There are two weekly railway service to the Retiro station in Buenos Aires, departing from the Ferrocarril Bartolomé Mitre station located near downtown (in Plaza Alberdi).

San Miguel de Tucumán enjoys one of the largest bus stations in Argentina. The 30,000 m² estación central de ómnibus opened in 1994) is the point from where hundreds of bus services arrive from and depart to almost all of the largest and mid-size cities throughout the country.

Media

San Miguel de Tucumán is home to two free-to-air television stations (Channel 8 and Channel 10), four newspapers (La Gaceta, El Siglo, El Periódico, El Tribuno), three cable television companies (CCC, ATS, and TCC) and several radio stations.

Notable residents

• Lola Mora, sculptor.
• Mercedes Sosa, folk music singer.
• César Pelli, architect.
• Juan Bautista Alberdi, lawyer, writer, political theorist and diplomat.
• Tomás Eloy Martínez, journalist and writer, author of Santa Evita.
• Gregorio Aráoz de Lamadrid
• Julio A. Roca, former President of the Argentine.
• Nicolás Avellaneda also former President.
• Carlos Alvarado-Larroucau, francophone writer.
• Mercedes María Paz, professional tennis player.
• Omar Hasan, former professional/international rugby player.
• Lorena Bernal, model and actress.
• Juan Ángel Krupoviesa, football player.
• Alejandro Romay, television and theatre producer.
• Pablo Rodríguez, Canadian Member of Parliament, Honoré-Mercier Riding.
• José María Núñez Piossek, former international/professional rugby player.
• Juan Soler, actor, star of Mexican telenovelas.

External links

• Official website
• Tucuman.com Tucumán portal website
• Terminal de Ómnibus Bus Station website
• Tucuman Turismo Tucuman Tourist Office (Official Website)
• La Gaceta The most important local newspaper
• Universidad Nacional de Tucumán Tucuman State University
• Universidad del Norte Santo Tomas Aquino Tucuman Catholic University
• Universidad Tecnologica Nacional (Tucuman Campus)
• Map of Tucuman, Tucuman AR Allows Zoom down to street level