Argirópolis

Argirópolis or Arjirópolis[1] (from Greek Άργυροπόλις "silver city") is a proposed city conceived by Argentine statesman Domingo Faustino Sarmiento as the capital of the Confederated States of Plata (Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay). It is also the title of the 1850 book that outlines this proposal.[2]

Argirópolis
Proposed city
Etymology: Greek: Άργυροπόλις ("silver city")
Argirópolis is located in South America
Argirópolis
Argirópolis
Location of Martin Garcia Island in South America
Coordinates: 34.18°S 58.25°W / -34.18; -58.25

Proposal
Map of the resulting confederation in ■ lighter blue with Argirópolis in ■ red.

Sarmiento proposes Martin Garcia Island, at the junction of the Parana and Uruguay River, as the site for Argirópolis, which in turn would ultimately be a point of unity between the interior provinces of Argentina and the Estado Oriental (i.e.: Uruguay).

Sarmiento based his argument on the following points:

  • The example of the United States, whose capital, Washington DC, does not depend on any state.
  • Closing the entrance to the Parana and Uruguay would ensure that the provinces of Corrientes, Santa Fe and Entre Rios, Paraguay and the Republic of Uruguay would unite in their common interest in favor of the independence of the island of Martín García.
  • The independence of the island from the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata, Uruguay, and Paraguay would make these three states equal in negotiations on the free navigability of rivers.
  • By placing the capital in neutral territory, no preference is given to the rival cities of Buenos Aires and Montevideo.
  • This could facilitate the island's return from its French occupiers.

Orthography

The 1850 edition tries to follow the Spanish orthography proposed by Sarmiento in 1843, and similar to that of Andrés Bello.[3] Still occasional slips into the RAE standard happen. Later editions follow the common orthography.

References
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Argirópolis.
  1. Sarmiento, Domingo F. (1850). Arjiropolis (PDF) (in Spanish). Santiago: Imprenta de Julio Belin i Ca. Retrieved 13 April 2021. Sarmiento's book uses Arjirópolis in the title but Argirópolis in page 87.
  2. Domingo Faustino Sarmiento. (spanish) "Argirópolis" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2013-05-24.
  3. Sarmiento, Domingo F. (1843). Memoria sobre ortografía americana (PDF) (in Spanish) (2007 electronic ed.). Santiago: Imprenta de La Opinión. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
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