The Culture and Variety of Argentina The country of Argentina is one rich in history and complex in culture. It is located in the far reaches of South America, inhabiting 1,068,302 square miles of the southeastern region of the continent, and over 39,000,000 people populate it. Those people make up the identity of a culture, a society of Argentinians that inhabit a unique place amongst not only the Latin-American region, but also the world as a whole. If we are to analyze the culture of the Argentinians, there is one important place to start. Buenos Aires, the capitol of the country, accounts for over a third of the country’s population, and is rich in diversity. The city, and country, has religion freedom, as well as many different dialects meandering amongst the population, although Roman Catholicism is the official religion and Spanish the official language of the country. This relative “melting pot” of individuals carries a unique atmosphere, with different kinds of handicrafts found all over the country. “The gauchos produce silver buckled belts, spurs, stirrups and the mate gourds from which they drink their mate through a silver straw. The indigenous groups produce wood carvings, weavings and textiles such as ponchos” (Select, 2010). This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the cultural relevance of Argentina and its people. The country is also very prominent within the realm of entertainment such as music and dance. The music scene in Buenos Aires is very much alive and there are many pubs and clubs, called "boliches", where local and international rock, jazz, reggae, punk, techno, dance, hip-hop, electronica or Caribbean bands perform. But the main attraction of the Buenos Aires entertainment culture is that of the Tango dance. Although there has been speculation that Cuba might have developed the dance, Buenos Aires is known internationally for being the city where tango music and dance was nurtured. “Initially, the tango was played in brothels with a violin, a flute and a guitar. The mythical instrument, the bandoneon, was not a part of the tango until a couple of decades later, around 1900 approximately, and little by little it started to replace the flute,” as stated by a locally printed account of the history of their precious dance. The same article goes on to describe the intricacies of the dance: “The dance is one of the most important expressions of the tango and the visual beauty illustrates the spirit of the music. A foot moves in every musical note, meaning that if a foot moves in one note, in the following note the other one should, too; similar to walking” (Easy, 2010). With such unique characteristics amongst the Argentinian people in society and entertainment, there has to be similar diversity amongst the culinary realm of Argentina’s culture. According to that of Argentour.com, “most Argentinians eat four meals each day. The diet may differ in different regions. Desayuno (breakfast) is a light meal of rolls and jam with coffee. For almuerzo (lunch), many Argentinians eat meat and vegetables or salads. After work but before dinner, people go to confiterías (cafés) to drink espresso and eat picadas, small dishes of cheese, mussels, salami, anchovies, olives and peanuts. Cena (dinner) in the evening is the largest meal of the day and almost always includes beef” (Argentour, 2012). Beef has been the main staple of Argentinian diet since the nineteenth century when cattle were plentiful throughout the region. The country of Argentina has proven to contain a unique culture and society. They have developed such revolutionary entertainment rituals as Tango dance and music, along with creating many kinds of original crafts and artwork. Also, the society is not limited to any one language or religion, or even meal-plan, for that matter. The Argentinians even take their own route in the culinary department, where they typically consume four meals per day instead of the typical three. Argentina has proven to be a cultural melting pot of all different sorts, and one that doesn’t seem to be slowing in its developing individuality any time in the near future.

References:
Argentour.com. Argentina Food, 2012. Web. 19 Mar. 2012.
Easy Buenos Aires City. The Tango, 2010. Web. 19 Mar. 2012.
Select Latin America. Destinations: Argentina- History and Culture, 2010. Web. 19 Mar. 2012.