Ezeiza () is the capital city of the

Ezeiza Partido Ezeiza Partido is a partido (second-level administrative subdivision) located in the southern part of Gran Buenos Aires in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. The provincial subdivision has a population of 160,219 inhabitants in an area of , and i ...

within the

Greater Buenos Aires Greater Buenos Aires ( es, Gran Buenos Aires, GBA), also known as the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Area ( es, Área Metropolitana de Buenos Aires, AMBA), refers to the urban agglomeration comprising the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires and the adj ...

area in

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest ...

. The city had a population of 160,219 in 2010. Ezeiza is one of the fastest-growing cities in Argentina; the city and its surroundings are known for the many gated communities there, as well as for the

Ministro Pistarini International Airport Ministro Pistarini International Airport ( es, link=no, Aeropuerto Internacional Ministro Pistarini) , also known as Ezeiza International Airport owing to its location in the Ezeiza Partido in Greater Buenos Aires, is an international airport ...

and the Ezeiza Federal Prison Complex. Ezeiza and its surrounds are known as affluent areas.

History

Inhabited originally by the Querandí people, the land was then claimed by the

Conquistador Conquistadors (, ) or conquistadores (, ; meaning 'conquerors') were the explorer-soldiers of the Spanish and Portuguese Empires of the 15th and 16th centuries. During the Age of Discovery, conquistadors sailed beyond Europe to the Americas, ...

es in 1588. The first estancia (''Los Remedios'') and

chapel A chapel is a Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. Firstly, smaller spaces inside a church that have their own altar are often called chapels; the Lady chapel is a common type ...

in the area were founded by Juan Guillermo González y Aragón in 1758; one of González's great-grandsons was

Manuel Belgrano Manuel José Joaquín del Corazón de Jesús Belgrano y González (3 June 1770 – 20 June 1820), usually referred to as Manuel Belgrano (), was an Argentine public servant, economist, lawyer, politician, journalist, and military leader. He ...

, one of the most notable leaders of the

Argentine War of Independence The Argentine War of Independence ( es, Guerra de Independencia de Argentina, links=no) was a secessionist civil war fought from 1810 to 1818 by Argentine patriotic forces under Manuel Belgrano, Juan José Castelli and José de San Martín ...

. Gerónimo Ezeiza bought land nearby in 1767, and by the late 19th century his descendant José María Ezeiza became the largest landowner in the area. Following his death, Ezeiza's son-in-law donated land to the Buenos Aires Western Railway, and the town was founded around the new line on 17 July 1885; it was named in honor of the late José María Ezeiza.

Dairy farming Dairy farming is a class of agriculture for long-term production of milk, which is processed (either on the farm or at a dairy plant, either of which may be called a dairy) for eventual sale of a dairy product. Dairy farming has a history t ...

dominated the Ezeiza landscape during the early 20th century. The town was chosen as the site of the nation's first

international airport An international airport is an airport with customs and border control facilities enabling passengers to travel between countries around the world. International airports are usually larger than domestic airports and they must feature longer r ...

, which was inaugurated on the northern end of the city in 1949; a new neighborhood, ''Barrio Uno'', was built just north of the airport that year to house its employees, and the Ricchieri Freeway was opened in 1952 to connect the new airport to the city of

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...

. The National Atomic Energy Commission established the Ezeiza Atomic Center, a leading producer of

radioisotope A radionuclide (radioactive nuclide, radioisotope or radioactive isotope) is a nuclide that has excess nuclear energy, making it unstable. This excess energy can be used in one of three ways: emitted from the nucleus as gamma radiation; transferr ...

s for medical use, in 1967. The freeway was scene of the Ezeiza Massacre, in which at least 13 died in clashes between left and right-wing Peronists vying for the best vantage points from which to view the motorcade for exiled former President

Juan Perón Juan Domingo Perón (, , ; 8 October 1895 – 1 July 1974) was an Argentine Army general and politician. After serving in several government positions, including Minister of Labour and Vice President of a military dictatorship, he was elected ...

upon his return to Argentina on 20 June 1973. Ezeiza grew steadily afterward as a

bedroom community A commuter town is a populated area that is primarily residential rather than commercial or industrial. Routine travel from home to work and back is called commuting, which is where the term comes from. A commuter town may be called by many o ...

, and a number of gated communities were developed (particularly in or near

Canning Canning is a method of food preservation in which food is processed and sealed in an airtight container ( jars like Mason jars, and steel and tin cans). Canning provides a shelf life that typically ranges from one to five years, althoug ...

, south of the city) from the 1990s onward. The ''Bosques de Ezeiza'' ('Ezeiza Woods') are likewise an important tourist attraction for the area. Other important institutions include the Dr. Alberto Eurnekian Hospital (2008), and th
Provincial University of Ezeiza
- which opened its doors in 2012 as the first university dedicated to

aeronautics Aeronautics is the science or art involved with the study, design, and manufacturing of air flight–capable machines, and the techniques of operating aircraft and rockets within the atmosphere. The British Royal Aeronautical Society identif ...

in Latin America; a proposal was submitted later that year to the National University Council by the school for its

nationalization Nationalization (nationalisation in British English) is the process of transforming privately-owned assets into public assets by bringing them under the public ownership of a national government or state. Nationalization usually refers to p ...

. Part of

Esteban Echeverría Partido Esteban Echeverría Partido is a partido in the Gran Buenos Aires urban area, in Buenos Aires Province in Argentina. The provincial subdivision has a population of 300,959 inhabitants in an area of , and its capital city is Monte Grande, whic ...

since its establishment in 1913, Ezeiza was made the seat of its namesake county upon its own establishment in 1994. A new, postmodern city hall was inaugurated in 2007.

Climate

Notable people

* Félix Décima (born 1979), footballer

References

External links

Information
from the ministry of internal affairs
Ezeiza portal
{{Authority control Populated places in Buenos Aires Province Populated places established in 1885 Cities in Argentina