Merlo Partido

Merlo Partido is an administrative district, or partido, in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. It occupies approximately 170 square kilometres west of the autonomous city of Buenos Aires and forms part of Greater Buenos Aires, although substantial portions retain a lower-density suburban and semi-rural character. Its administrative capital is the city of Merlo, and other important localities include San Antonio de Padua, Parque San Martín, Libertad, Pontevedra and Mariano Acosta. The district’s historical development began during the colonial period, after the permanent foundation of Buenos Aires in 1580. The territory was originally associated with the Pago de Las Conchas and was crossed by the river now known as the Reconquista. Indigenous Taluhet and other Het-speaking peoples occupied the wider region before Spanish colonial expansion. During the seventeenth century, the land was divided into large haciendas used for crop cultivation and cattle raising. One important estate was held by the Society of Jesus, whose agricultural production helped support its institutions in Buenos Aires. Francisco de Merlo, a Buenos Aires businessman and landowner, later acquired extensive property in the area. In response to insecurity and conflict on the Pampas, settlers gathered around his fortified ranch. On 28 October 1755 he established Villa San Antonio del Camino, the settlement that eventually took his name. After Merlo’s death the settlement became relatively isolated and remained within lands associated with the Mercedarian Order until those properties were expropriated by the state in 1821 and later acquired by Thomas Gibson Pearson. Pearson’s stepson Juan Dillon became a central figure in the district’s nineteenth-century redevelopment. Railway construction transformed Merlo. The western railway reached the town in 1859, making the settlement a junction and commercial point for surrounding agricultural and pastoral areas. Dillon commissioned Pedro Benoit to lay out a planned town and supported the construction of civic, religious, educational and transport infrastructure. On 11 October 1864, Buenos Aires Province created the Partido de Merlo from territory formerly belonging to Morón. The new district initially also included the area that later became Marcos Paz. For much of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Merlo remained predominantly rural. Railway stations encouraged the growth of settlements along the line, including San Antonio de Padua, Libertad and Mariano Acosta. The district also became a destination for weekend and summer recreation, with farms, estancias, river outings, golf and gliding activities. Immigration from Ireland, the Basque Country, Italy, Spain, France and other parts of Europe contributed to local agriculture, commerce and public administration. The decisive demographic change occurred after the 1940s. Migration from Argentina’s provinces and from neighboring countries caused the population to expand rapidly between 1947 and 1960. Urbanization connected Merlo more closely to the metropolitan economy and made it a predominantly suburban district. The area subsequently became a stronghold of Peronist politics. Manufacturing, wholesale and retail trade, transport, real estate and services became more significant than agriculture, although dairy farming, horticulture, poultry production and beekeeping continued in smaller enterprises. Merlo’s economy has included industrial facilities associated with multinational groups, including cigarette and tire manufacturing operations cited in descriptions of the district’s industrial park. Its transport system is structured around Rivadavia Avenue, the Acceso Oeste connection and the Sarmiento railway line. The railway links Merlo and San Antonio de Padua with Buenos Aires and also provides a branch toward Lobos. The district’s municipal government provides local administration and public services across a densely settled metropolitan area as well as less urbanized zones.

The territory of present-day Merlo Partido was incorporated into the colonial economy of the Buenos Aires hinterland during the seventeenth century. It was associated with the Pago de Las Conchas and included fertile lands around the river now called the Reconquista. Indigenous Taluhet and related Het peoples lived in the broader region before Spanish settlement expanded. In 1636, colonial authorities distributed large land grants among Buenos Aires residents. Agriculture, cattle raising, wheat cultivation and orchards became the principal activities, while Jesuit estates generated resources for schools and other institutions in Buenos Aires. Francisco de Merlo, a prominent landowner and businessman, consolidated a large estancia in the area during the eighteenth century. Repeated insecurity on the frontier encouraged settlers to cluster near the fortified buildings of his estate. Merlo obtained royal authorization to establish a town, and on 28 October 1755 founded Villa San Antonio del Camino. The settlement later acquired the name Merlo. Following his death, it lost much of its importance and remained tied to lands administered by the Mercedarian Order. Those lands were expropriated by the state in 1821 and purchased in 1852 by English businessman Thomas Gibson Pearson. Pearson’s stepson Juan Dillon played a major role in the district’s modernization. Dillon was a landowner, public official and member of the Buenos Aires Irish community. He served in local offices in Morón and later became closely involved in Merlo. The arrival of the western railway created an opportunity to reorganize the settlement and increase the value of surrounding land. Dillon commissioned Pedro Benoit to design a rectangular street plan. A railway station opened on 11 August 1859, followed by improvements to roads, civic buildings, schools and religious facilities. Local landowners and influential residents petitioned for political separation from Morón. Buenos Aires Province approved the creation of Merlo Partido through Law 422 on 11 October 1864. The first local authorities were elected that year, with Dillon serving as Juez de Paz. The new district was initially considerably larger than the current partido and included the territory that became Marcos Paz until the later boundary changes. Cholera and yellow-fever outbreaks in Buenos Aires during the 1860s and 1870s encouraged temporary and permanent movement toward the countryside, while European migration added labor and commercial expertise. Rail transport drove late-nineteenth-century development. Merlo became a railway junction and market center for farms and pastoral estates, while San Antonio de Padua, Libertad and Mariano Acosta grew as railway settlements. During the early twentieth century the district remained largely rural, with scattered farms, market gardens and recreational estates. Political competition included the Radical Civic Union and the Conservative Party of Buenos Aires. Irish, Basque, Italian, Spanish, French, Japanese, Portuguese and Polish communities contributed to local agriculture and settlement patterns at different periods. After the 1940s, migration from Argentina’s interior provinces and neighboring countries caused exceptionally rapid population growth. Between 1947 and 1960 the population increased several times over, accelerating suburbanization and incorporating Merlo into the Greater Buenos Aires conurbation. Peronism became the dominant political force in local government. Manufacturing and service activities expanded, while agriculture declined as a share of the economy but remained present through dairy farming, horticulture, flower production, poultry and beekeeping. Modern Merlo Partido contains both highly urbanized neighborhoods and less densely developed land near the Reconquista River and the district’s western and southern edges. Its principal transport infrastructure includes Rivadavia Avenue, Presidente Perón Avenue, links to the Acceso Oeste highway and the Sarmiento railway. Municipal responsibilities encompass local services, infrastructure, planning and community administration across six recognized cities and additional localities.

• 1960

  Urbanization consolidates

  [1]Merlo Partidoen.wikipedia.org

  By this period, population growth had substantially expanded Merlo’s urban footprint and strengthened its integration with the Buenos Aires metropolitan area.

• 1947

  Beginning of rapid metropolitan growth

  [1]Merlo Partidoen.wikipedia.org

  Postwar migration and industrialization initiated a major population increase and the district’s transition from rural territory to suburban Greater Buenos Aires.

• 1864

  Creation of Merlo Partido

  [1]Merlo Partidoen.wikipedia.org

  Buenos Aires Province enacted Law 422 on 11 October, establishing Merlo as an autonomous partido separated from Morón.

• 1859

  Railway reaches Merlo

  [1]Merlo Partidoen.wikipedia.org

  The western railway opened a station at Merlo on 11 August, linking the settlement to Buenos Aires and stimulating land development and commerce.

• 1755

  Foundation of Villa San Antonio del Camino

  [1]Merlo Partidoen.wikipedia.org

  Francisco de Merlo founded Villa San Antonio del Camino on 28 October, creating the settlement that later became known as Merlo.

A west-of-Buenos-Aires metropolitan district combining dense suburban communities, historic railway settlements, industrial activity and remaining agricultural or semi-rural areas.

Product categories. Municipal administration and public services · Urban planning and infrastructure · Local economic and community development · Public transport coordination and metropolitan connectivity · Cultural, recreational and civic programs

• 2015

  Allegations concerning the Othacehé administration

  A chapter of María O’Donnell’s nonfiction book El Aparato portrayed long-serving intendente Raúl Alfredo Othacehé as operating a corrupt local political machine. The material describes allegations rather than establishing a criminal finding in this dossier.

  Source

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• 1864

  Administrative separation from MorónStrategy

  Background

  Local landowners and civic leaders argued that the growing railway settlement required its own municipal administration.

  Action taken

  Buenos Aires Province approved Law 422, creating the Partido de Merlo.

  Aftermath

  Merlo gained an autonomous local government and initially administered a larger territory that later included the future Partido de Marcos Paz.

  Source

• 1859

  Railway-linked town planOther

  Background

  The western railway’s planned extension increased the value of land around Merlo and created demand for a more organized settlement.

  Action taken

  Juan Dillon commissioned Pedro Benoit to design a rectangular street grid and supported new civic, transport, educational and religious facilities.

  Aftermath

  Merlo developed as a railway junction and commercial center, accelerating its later urban growth.

  Source

1. 1Merlo Partidoen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Municipality of Merlo official websitemerlo.gob.ar