Argentina

B

Language

Spanish is the official language of Argentina and is spoken by the overwhelming majority of the people. Lunfardo, a local dialect mixing Italian and Spanish, is widely spoken in Buenos Aires. Italian, English, Korean, Yiddish, and a number of indigenous languages are also spoken.

C

Religion

Roman Catholics make up 91 percent of the Argentine population. Judaism, Protestantism, and a number of other Christian and non-Christian religions are practiced. Although the constitution guarantees freedom of worship, the Roman Catholic Church has long enjoyed a privileged position similar to that of an established church. The 1994 constitution repealed the requirement that the president and vice president of Argentina must be Roman Catholic. However, the reform maintained the clause mandating that the “federal government shall uphold the Roman Catholic Apostolic faith.”

IV

Education and Culture

Argentina’s culture reflects many influences. The Argentine elite has always regarded Paris (France), rather than Madrid (the capital of Spain), as its second home, and French influence has always been particularly strong in the intellectual life of the country. During the 19th century French political and philosophical thought penetrated deeply into Argentine literature and thought. Italian and English influences have also been important in both cultural and economic life. However, the most prominent figure in the arts and heritage of Argentina is that of its native gaucho (cowboy).

Although European ideas and culture remain the dominant factor in the evolution of the Argentine national identity, popular culture, particularly from the United States, has had a strong influence on Argentina since the 1960s. This influence has been felt in the areas of music, film, fashion, and food. The indigenous cultures also contribute, if only in a small way, to the national culture; indigenous peoples have had a significant influence on folk art.

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A

Gaucho Folk Culture

The culture of Argentina today reveals very few non-European elements, unlike the strong Native American influence found in the culture of Mexico and the Andean countries of Bolivia, Ecuador, and Peru. The basis for the economy and culture of colonial Argentina was not gold and slaves, since the Spaniards found no rich mines or advanced Indian civilizations upon their arrival. Instead, the source of Argentina’s wealth was mainly the immense herds of wild cattle and horses that roamed the Argentine pampas and the men who, sometimes pursued by the law, went from the cities to the pampas. These adventurers became the wild horsemen and folk singers known as gauchos.

Home-grown Argentine culture began with the gaucho. With an easily available food supply and with horses and hides for trade, the gauchos lived an isolated and independent life along the perimeter of civilization, improvising poems and songs about their deeds. They often accompanied their songs on the guitar. The gaucho folk culture flourished between 1750 and 1850 and ended with the fencing off of the Pampas. However, the gaucho remained a source of inspiration for Argentine literature, music, and art.

B

Education

Argentina has one of the finest educational systems in the Western Hemisphere, although its quality has eroded as budgets tightened in the late 20th century and the conservative influence of successive military governments has shaped the curriculum. Primary education is free and compulsory from ages 5 to 14. In 2000, 4.9 million pupils attended primary schools; 3.8 million attended secondary and vocational schools. Argentina’s literacy rate of 97 percent is one of the highest in Latin America.

In the early 2000s Argentina had about 30 national (federal government-funded) universities and about 20 private universities. The largest public university is the University of Buenos Aires, founded in 1821. Others are located at Córdoba (1613), La Plata (1905), Mendoza (1939), and Rosario (1968). The Catholic University of Argentina (1958) and National Technological University (1959) are both located in Buenos Aires. Since the 1980s Argentina’s state-run universities and colleges have suffered from inadequate investment in facilities, a lack of full-time faculty, and a failure to modernize the curriculum.

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