Ibatín: the place where Tucumán's past emerges

May 31st is seared into the hearts of Tucumán residents. The origins of the capital city date back to that date, but in 1565, when a crucial Spanish soldier, Diego de Villarroel, founded the city of Tucumán in a place called Ibatín, located in the department of Monteros, in the southern part of the province.

It's impossible to recall the layout of that ancient city without returning to the current location of San Miguel de Tucumán, especially the hectic life of its downtown area. Its layout evokes a checkerboard… The main square located in the heart of that fledgling city… The Cabildo, which after its move to La Toma would disappear to make way for the current Government House, reminiscent of France… The Main Church and the churches of the Jesuits, the Mercedarians, the Franciscans, and that of San Judas Tadeo and San Simón, which would be destroyed by the great flood of 1678.

In its founding document, the city was listed under the symbolic name of "San Miguel de Tucumán and New Land of Promise" and had been located a quarter of a league south of the Quebrada del Calchaquí River. However, this area was not uninhabited when the Spanish arrived; rather, it was inhabited by various indigenous groups dedicated to hunting, gathering, and farming. The relationship between the two was far from harmonious.

On May 31, 1565, Villarroel administered the oaths to the mayors and council members. A few years later, in 1578, Governor Abreu launched what became known as the Jornada de los Césares (Day of the Caesars) and recruited the city's residents. When they learned of this situation, indigenous groups attacked and burned the place on the night of October 28.

Beyond this incident, which marked the relationship between the inhabitants of Ibatín, the ancient city survived for 120 years and became a thriving place due to its fertile soil and its location near the Quebrada del Portugués road that connected Peru to the Río de la Plata. This led to its active commercial activity. Its abundant cedar trees were used as raw material for the construction of carts, vehicles that helped strengthen commercial activity. However, with the outbreak of the Calchaquí Wars, this route was abandoned, and the city lost its crucial importance.

Another problem Ibatín faced was the river. Although it provided water to the city, it was clogged by flooding, soon turning its course into a dangerous channel. Over the following years, the river continued to change. Over time, it flooded the outskirts of the city, which, as if that weren't enough, also faced malaria, a potentially fatal disease transmitted by a parasite.

The event that marked the end of Ibatín was the flood of 1678. It swept away the homes in the north and destroyed the hermitage of San Judas Tadeo y San Simón. A year later, the water would reach the area near the main square. After the great flood, a town council was organized to find a solution. From this, two options arose: clean the riverbed and thus prevent future flooding, or, on the contrary, abandon the city and move it to the La Toma area, just over 60 kilometers from Ibatín, a region that was growing at the time thanks to merchants.

The second, more radical initiative received the majority of votes, and in 1685 the city was finally moved to its current location. Constant flooding and malaria marked the end of 120 years of history for San Miguel de Tucumán in the south of the province.

However, the city's past still emerges from the depths of that land that sheltered the capital of Tucumán for more than a century. The first excavations were carried out in 1965 and uncovered the stone foundations of some of the main buildings that shaped Ibatín: the Town Hall, the Main Church, and the Jesuit school, among others, which were located around the Plaza Mayor (Main Square)

Today, the Ibatín Provincial Park and Open-Air Archaeological Museum stands on this territory, created in 1965 to preserve the founding site of San Miguel de Tucumán. In its Interpretation Center, you can see the recovered heritage and learn more about the history of the Founding City. May 31st remains a symbol of fire in the hearts of Tucumán people.