A battle fought here. A bridge stood here. This is Puente de Márquez.
Puente de Márquez a wooden marvel once spanned the Río de las Conchas now known as the Río Reconquista. Its construction in 1773 marked a significant moment. Pablo Márquez built it with permission from the Cabildo of Buenos Aires. This wooden bridge was essential. It connected Morón and Luján. Travelers avoided the Camino Real using the Camino de los Gaona.
Puente de Márquez witnessed much history. Diligences and mail passed over it. Patriotic armies used it during liberating campaigns. In 1820 Miguel Estanislao Soler became governor nearby. Perhaps even Charles Darwin crossed Puente de Márquez in 1833 on his journey to Luján. Or maybe the papal entourage passed this way in 1824. The future Pope Pius IX was among them.
Puente de Márquez was the site of a crucial battle. On April 26 1829 Unitarians and Federals clashed. Juan Manuel de Rosas and Estanislao López’s forces triumphed over Juan Lavalle. This became known as the Battle of Puente de Márquez. Later in 1852 Justo José de Urquiza’s troops under Gregorio Aráoz de Lamadrid used Puente de Márquez. They advanced along the Camino de los Gaona. They surprised Juan Manuel de Rosas’ rearguard at Caseros.
In 1964 a new concrete bridge replaced the original. The old Puente de Márquez was declared a national historical monument. Sadly in 1997 the Autopista Acceso Oeste demolished the 1964 bridge. The company claimed ignorance of its historical value. A commemorative bronze plaque was lost. Plans for a replica remain unfulfilled.
Puente de Márquez wasn’t just a bridge. It was a meeting point. People gathered nearby for sports fishing and swimming in the 1930s and 40s. A planned balneario never materialized. Gorki Grana a local athlete famously swam in the river. In 1935 Eduardo Vadell canoed from Puente de Márquez to Carmelo. Increased pollution and the construction of the Presa Roggero and the Autopista ended the river’s use for recreation. Puente de Márquez a place of battles a place of passage a place of memory.