Tigre Partido

[1] The current mayor is Julio Cesar Zamora, from the Renewal Front within the Union por la Patria coalition.

The partido was officially founded in 1790, but the settlements were hit by floods and the town was moved to the present site of Tigre, at the mouth of the Luján River by 1820.

Argentine author Jorge Luis Borges said about Tigre: "no other city do I know that adjoins a secret group of green islands, which get lost at unknown waters of such a slow river that literature called it frozen..." The history of Tigre dates back to a port on the banks of Las Conchas River, which gave origin to Las Conchas Village.

The port was used by the ships sailing the Paraná River to or from Paraguay and also by those who carried wood, coal and firewood from the Delta to Buenos Aires.

Las Conchas River (named after the sea shell debris that was abundant in the riverbed) is now called Reconquista and runs along Liniers street.

One of the first historically registered catastrophes occurred in early June 1805, when Las Conchas village was almost devastated by a heavy rainstorm that made the river overflow its banks.

Most of the people moved to higher nearby lands where San Fernando village was founded, and a channel was built to be used as a new port.

At the same time the outflow of water came out through a small stream called Tigre, causing the widening of its bed and turning it into a river.

This favoured the setting up of places to spend the day on the islands, called recreos, and aroused interest in rowing along the quiet waters.

Later on, fruit growing prevailed up to 1940.That year a river rise spoiled most plants and the crisis provoked a mass departure of a large part of the population.

The cultivation of osier (salix sp), which is native to European and Asian cold and temperate regions, was proposed by Sarmiento because it can resist floods.

Another plant that adapts to floodable lands is New Zealand flax (phormium tenax), which was industrialised as from 1925 and is used in containers, burlap, cords, threads, runners and mats.

They shared their common interest and troubles in the Delta journal, founded in 1933 by a Hungarian immigrant called Sandor Mikler.

Rowing practice had started in the south of Buenos Aires and little by little was moved to the Luján river due to the tranquility and beauty of the place.

The event was so successful that the existing rowing clubs moved to Tigre, and new ones were founded by members of the various foreign communities residing in Buenos Aires.

Club de Regatas La Marina.
Supply boat in Tigre, still the easiest access to many points along the delta.
Timber boat descending the Luján River
Old Casino, today Tigre Art Museum.
Moorings on the delta, Tigre.
Parque de la Costa Amusement Park, Tigre.
Rowing on the Luján river at Tigre