Argentina

Origin and history of the name

The name Argentina is derived from the Latin argentum (silver). The origin of this name goes back to the first voyages made by the Spanish conquerors to the River Plate, The survivors of the shipwrecked expedition mounted by Juan Díaz de Solís found indigenous people in the region who gave them silver objects as gifts. The news about the legendary Sierra del Plata – a mountain rich in silver – reached Spain around 1524. Since then, the Spaniards named the river of Solís, Río de la Plata (River of the Silver). The first mention of the Argentina name was in the Ruy Diaz de Guzman's book Historia del descubrimiento, población, y conquista del Río de la Plata in 1612. (History of the discovery, population, and conquest of the River Plate), naming the territory discovered by Solis as Tierra Argentina (the land of silver).

Related Topics:
Latin - Silver - Spanish - River Plate - Juan Díaz de Solís - Sierra del Plata - 1524

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~