The city of Mar del Plata [map], located along the Atlantic coast about 250 miles south of the Argentine capital, was initially conceived of as a summer resort for the Buenos Aires elite. These days, Argentina's rich and famous tend to head to beaches in Uruguay and Brazil; however, Mar del Plata remains a popular summer destination for many Argentines. The city is also home to a thriving port and fishing fleet, which provided jobs for recently-arrived Italian immigrants in the early 1900s.
Let's have a look back at Mar del Plata in its early years.
[Faro Punta Mogotes – here's the lighthouse as it looks now.]
[If you squint hard enough, I'm almost sure you'll find Mary Poppins among this group of well-dressed ladies and gents.]
[Between 1905 and 1920, camel rides on the beach were offered as an exotic activity for tourists.]
[Beachgoers at Playa Bristol – here's what this stretch of beach looks like today. Don't you just love the bathing costumes?]
[Reality check: not everyone in Mar del Plata was there on vacation. These washerwomen worked down along the banks of Arroyo del Barco, by the port.]
[Horses dragged fishing boats out into the sea.]
[Plaza San Martín and Catedral de los Santos Pedro y Cecilia – here's the cathedral today.]
If you're interested in more photos and stories about Mar del Plata's past, take a look at the blog Historia de Mar del Plata [Spanish only], the Wikipedia page on the history of the city [English], or this set of vintage photos on Flickr.
[Photo credits: All photos from the collection of rodrimdq]
Next
Previous
