Tafí Viejo is an Argentine town in the

Province of Tucumán A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions outs ...

. The municipality's population at the was 48,459 inhabitants. Tafí Viejo is located 15 km (9 mi) north of the city of

San Miguel de Tucumán San Miguel de Tucumán (; usually called simply Tucumán) is the capital and largest city of Tucumán Province, located in northern Argentina from Buenos Aires. It is the fifth-largest city of Argentina after Buenos Aires, Córdoba, Argentina, ...

, just west of National Route 9; today, it is an important suburb in the larger city's metro area.

Overview

Located about 600 m (2000 ft) above sea level at the feet of the Aconquija Mountains to the west, the area was originally populated by Aymará-speaking peoples, who gave the site its name with a term meaning "where the cold winds blow." The arrival of the

Northern Central Railway The Northern Central Railway (NCRY) was a Class I Railroad connecting Baltimore, Maryland with Sunbury, Pennsylvania, along the Susquehanna River. Completed in 1858, the line came under the control of the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) in 1861, whe ...

in 1882 made the location a popular weekend getaway for San Miguel de Tucumán gentry during the late nineteenth century, and on May 3, 1900, it was founded as ''San José de Calasanz''. The hamlet was chosen as the site for one of Argentina's largest railway equipment factories in 1904 and the facility was inaugurated in May 1910. The growing town was formally reestablished with its original name, ''Tafí Viejo'', on June 2, 1939. Following the railways' nationalization by President Juan Perón in 1948, the facility was modernized and expanded; during the 1950s, it employed over 5,600 workers, who turned out 24 freight cars, 11 passenger cars and two steam locomotives monthly. In the interest of trimming the state-owned railways concern ''

Ferrocarriles Argentinos Ferrocarriles Argentinos (abbreviated as FA; ) was a state-owned company that managed the entire Argentine railway system for nearly 45 years. It was formed in 1948 when all the private railway companies were nationalised during Juan Perón's fir ...

chronic deficits, however, the

dictatorship A dictatorship is a form of government which is characterized by a leader, or a group of leaders, which holds governmental powers with few to no limitations on them. The leader of a dictatorship is called a dictator. Politics in a dictatorship a ...

at the time had the facility closed in 1980, dealing Tafí Viejo a serious economic blow. Reopened by President

Raúl Alfonsín Raúl Ricardo Alfonsín (12 March 1927 – 31 March 2009) was an Argentine lawyer and statesman who served as President of Argentina from 10 December 1983 to 8 July 1989. He was the first democratically elected president after more than ...

in 1984, the facility could not recover its role as the city's largest employer and, in 1996, Governor

Antonio Domingo Bussi Antonio Domingo Bussi (17 January 1926 – 24 November 2011) was an Army General and politician prominent in the recent history of Tucumán Province, Argentina. Life and times Early career Bussi was born in Victoria in Argentina's Entre Ríos Pr ...

had the installation shuttered yet again. Ultimately, President

Néstor Kirchner Néstor Carlos Kirchner (; 25 February 195027 October 2010) was an Argentine lawyer and politician who served as the President of Argentina from 2003 to 2007, Governor of Santa Cruz Province from 1991 to 2003, Secretary General of UNASUR and ...

had the factory re-opened shortly after taking office in 2003. Continuing to prosper despite past setbacks, Tafí Viejo has also developed thriving services and tourism sectors. Limited in the past to weekend visits from metro area residents, the city has been attracting wider interest through the Alpa-Puyo resort, a compound of cabins, guided tours and excursions, as well as a small zoo. VISTA PANORAMICA TALLERES ARIEL 2003

External links

Municipal information and contacts
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tafi Viejo, Tucuman Populated places in Tucumán Province Populated places established in 1900