Porteño

Porteños (feminine: Porteñas) is a term commonly used to refer to the inhabitants of the city of Buenos Aires. The term is also used to describe natives of other cities such as, El Puerto de Santa María in Spain , Mazatlán , Veracruz , Acapulco and Tampico ( Mexico ), Puerto Cabello , ( Carabobo ) in Venezuela , Puerto Colombia in Colombia, Puerto Suárez in Bolivia, Valparaíso in Chile, Puerto Cortés in Honduras , and Puntarenas in Costa Rica .

This article is about the Porteño people. For the dialect of Spanish, see Rioplatense Spanish.

History

The term porteño literally means "port city person" in Spanish. As a result of immigration waves from Europe peaking in the 1880s, the Río de la Plata area, and in particular Buenos Aires and Montevideo, became heavily populated with people of European descent, mainly Italian, Spanish and German. They called themselves Porteños to distinguish themselves from existing criollo (colonial Spanish) ancestry, mestizos, and indigenous people.

Today

Culture

Porteños have a unique culture, different from that of their initial European homelands. Notably, equestrian sports are a huge part of Porteño life. Porteño are known to be some of the best polo players in the world, and have raised horses through fertile grasslands in the Pampas region. Each year, in November, the Palermo Open, the world's most prestegious Polo championship, takes place in the Palermo section of Buenos Aires.[1]

Also tracing to the inherent geographies of the Pampas, Porteño cuisine consists heavily of beef. For example, the national dish of Argentina is Asado.

Demographics

Since Porteño is not officially reportable on any census, estimates differ regarding their population and geography. However, it is estimated that over 3 million Uruguayans identify as Porteño, making up over 90% of the country's population. While not the majority ethnicity in Argentina, Porteños are prominent in the eastern province of Buenos Aires. Outside Buenos Aires City, they make up most of the population, and a significant Porteño diaspora exists in the City's Recoleta, Palermo, and Belgrano neighbourhoods.

Outside the River Plate

In Chile, porteño/a is commonly used for residents of Valparaíso.[2][3] In Costa Rica, porteño/a is commonly used for people from the province of Puntarenas in the Pacific Coast,[4] and also for the residents of Puerto Cortés in Honduras.[5]

References
  1. https://www.aapolo.com/
  2. Gregory, Vanessa (November 8, 2009). "Tastes of Newly Fashionable Valparaíso, Chile". The New York Times. Retrieved 2011-03-18.
  3. Gabanski, Pepa (21 January 2011). "Old Prejudices Die Hard In Chile's Rival Coastal Cities: Viña and Valparaíso". The Santiago Times. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 2015-03-31.
  4. http://www.puntarenas-cr.com/histsimb.htm
  5. "Tips de Puerto Cortes" (in Spanish). 8 (2). Copan Tips S. de R.L. 2001. p. 92. Retrieved 2020-04-20.
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