Morón, Buenos Aires Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Morón
City
Plaza San Martín with the Cathedral of Morón
Morón, Buenos Aires Location in Greater Buenos Aires
Country	Argentina
Province	Buenos Aires
Partido	Morón
Elevation	26 m (85 ft)
Population (2001 census [INDEC])
• Total	92,725
CPA Base	B 1708
Area code(s)	+54 11

Morón is a city in the Buenos Aires Province of Argentina. It is the capital of the Morón partido (a type of local government area). The city is part of the large Greater Buenos Aires area.

Morón is located about 20 kilometers (13 miles) west of Downtown Buenos Aires. You can easily get there by bus, by car on National Highway 7, or by train using the Sarmiento railway line.

History of Morón
- Early Beginnings
- Modern Growth
Top Places to See
Famous People from Morón
Gallery
See also

History of Morón

Early Beginnings

The area where Morón is now was first home to the Querandí people. In the late 1500s, Captain Juan de Garay gave this land to Captain Juan Ruiz de Ocaña. Later, the site became an important stop along the Camino Real. This was a royal road connecting Buenos Aires to Córdoba. A pontoon bridge built in 1771 over the Morón Brook made it even more important.

The settlement was officially named Cañada de Morón in 1785. It quickly became a popular vacation spot for rich people from Buenos Aires. Francisco de Merlo, who gave his name to the city of Merlo, owned a lot of land here.

Historians are not sure how Morón got its name. Some ideas include:

Diego Morón, whose wife owned land in the 1700s.
Pedro Morán, another local landowner.
The town of Morón de la Frontera in Spain, where many early settlers came from.
San Pedro de Morón, a saint honored by a local important woman.

In 1829, a big battle called the Battle of Márquez Bridge happened here. It was a key fight in the Argentine civil wars. These wars were between two groups: the Unitarians and the Federalists. The Federalists, led by Juan Manuel de Rosas, won this battle. This victory helped Rosas become very powerful in Buenos Aires Province until 1852.

Modern Growth

In the 1850s, wheat farms started to replace cattle ranches in Morón. In 1859, the Buenos Aires Western Railway train line reached the town. Because of this, local leaders asked urban planner Pedro Benoit to design a plan for the city's future growth.

The old train station in Morón.

Many Italian families moved to Morón after this. In 1867, they started a local help society. Later, Italy even opened a consulate (an office for their country) in the city. The beautiful Cathedral of Inmaculada Concepción del Buen Viaje opened for services in 1871 and was finished in 1885. A small Jewish community also settled here.

The historic City Hall building, used until 1948.

Morón was involved in a political event in 1893. A group called the Radical Civic Union briefly took over the city government. However, federal troops soon put the old government back in charge. The modern-looking City Hall, designed by Alejandro Bustillo, was finished in 1939. It has cool sculptures by José Fioravanti.

The city's population grew a lot between 1947 and 1960 because of new factories. In 1960, the private Universidad de Morón (University of Morón) was founded. After this, the city grew more slowly and became a mostly middle-class suburban area.

Top Places to See

Morón has several interesting places to visit:

Plaza Libertador San Martín: This is the main square, designed by Pedro Benoit. It's a great place to relax.
The Cathedral: This beautiful church is the main one for the Roman Catholic Bishop of Morón.
National Aeronautics Museum: Here, you can see amazing airplanes and learn about the history of flight in Argentina.

The local soccer team, Deportivo Morón, was started in 1947.