Catamarca [1920s-1960s]

Description: This handmade envelope contains ten stationary envelopes with photos, newspapers’ and magazines’ articles and clippings, plus engravings that show us the churches, asylums, towns, politics, hospitals, and the municipality of the province of Catamarca, among other subjects. It is one of the 23 provinces in Argentina in the north-western region. The word Catamarca means in quechua Castle or Fort on the slope. Before the 11th century, it was inhabited by Native-American populations for almost two thousand years. In the 17th century the Spaniards arrived but the original population was never surpassed in number so a lot of mixture took place between the invaders and them. Agriculture, horticulture and mining were the main economic activities. In the war of Independence, the province’s elite opposed Spain and, after the war, civil wars spread throughout the region. In 1888 the railway arrived and agriculture had a chance of export, however, modernisation lay very far away: Still today the social and political organisation has been compared with feudalism. See, www.catamarca.gov.ar Extent of original: Handmade envelope . Condition of original: Regular to bad condition.