La plaza republicana como escenario de cambio social: la conformación del espacio cívico en las ciudades de nueva fundación del siglo XIX en la provincia de Buenos Aires

Abstract

After de Argentine Independence, the occupation of the Buenos Aires Province took place, with a strong strategy of settling new towns. In these new towns their central squares play a fundamental role. This space shows an evident relation with the Hispanic tradition, is however a clear example of the urban modernization that is happening in the 19th century in Argentina. This article attempts to analyse the distribution and form of these squares, with a series of case studies, that will lead us to see the singular meaning of these spaces, not only due to its urban central location and its composition, but fundamentally because they represent the modernisation process of the society driven by the state against the colonial tradition, with the institutions and functions that surround the central square.