The first public religious controversy in Argentina. Can you believe it happened right here in Ramos Mejía?
Ramos Mejía a city in the La Matanza Partido of Buenos Aires Province is more than just a bustling commercial district. Its history is rich with unexpected twists and turns. It all began in 1808 when Francisco Ramos Mejía a successful merchant’s son purchased the land. He’d returned from a nine-year stint in Upper Peru. His new ranch became the unlikely setting for a major religious clash. Ramos Mejía’s differing views on biblical interpretation with Father Castañeda the local priest led to his exile from the parish in 1821.
After Ramos Mejía’s death in 1828 his wife María Antonia Segurola de Ramos Mejía inherited the property. Governor Juan Manuel de Rosas confiscated it in 1840. It was returned to the widow in 1853 after Rosas’s downfall. She left the land to her four sons. They sold the first plots to the Buenos Aires Western Railway. This marked a turning point. The railway opened a station here on September 25 1858. It was along Argentina’s first rail line. The station itself a stunning example of Victorian architecture designed by John Doyer is now a museum.
Subsequent sales and subdivision of the land led to the town’s official establishment in 1871. Ramos Mejía grew rapidly thanks to a wave of immigration. In 1904 the cobblestone Avenida Rivadavia connected the town to Buenos Aires.
Ramos Mejía also played a pivotal role in the development of Argentina’s public transport. The Transporte Ideal San Justo a shared taxi company started here in 1921. It marked the beginning of the popular colectivo system. The electrification of the Western Railway line between Ramos Mejía and Once station in Buenos Aires in 1923 was another milestone.
The city boasts numerous schools and educational institutions including the Ward College Santo Domingo College and the Salesian Wilfrid Barón College of Don Bosco. The last one is particularly notable because Pope Francis studied there as a sixth-grader.
The Casa de la Cultura houses the Leopoldo Marechal Theatre an important cultural center in La Matanza County. Ramos Mejía officially became a city on September 17 1964.
Ramos Mejía’s history is a testament to the enduring impact of one man’s land purchase a significant religious dispute and the transformative power of the railway. It is a place where history faith commerce and community converge. It’s a story worth remembering as you walk these streets.