Escudo Concejo Municipal

Esperanza Municipal Council

Historical Synopsis

Esperanza is the head town of Las Colonias department in Santa Fe province, and its foundation is due to the Contract of Colonization signet 15 th. June 1853 between the Provincial Government, Manuel Domingo Leiva, and the Salta citizen Aarón Castellanos.

By this contract, inspired in the aims of the Provincial Government to promote and develop the natural resources, the industries and agriculture in particular, Aaron Castellanos was authorized to introduce 1.000 families of European peasants in group of 200 families each, in the term of ten years since the arrival of the first group, in the provincial territory.

This vast plan, carried out only in its initial stage, and starting in 1855, was enough to push an agricultural colonization policy that the country had as its goal since 1822.

According to one of the contract clauses, the government of Santa Fe, in September 1855, proceeded to the division and marking of boundaries of the lands of the future colony, which would be situated en the fields called "Kings canton", upon the Salado. This is the reason why September is taken as its foundation date, since foundation is considered to be previous to settlement. There existed in these lands surroundings, a line of forts inhabited by a primitive nomadic indian tribe.

On 20 th. January 1856, with the arrival in Buenos Aires of the first group of immigrants destined to the colony. Esperanza is born.

New group arrived in the following months to complete the 200 families. The pioneers were mainly of Swiss stoks, and a large number of German and French, as well as a small number of Belgium, Luxembourgian and Saboyard completed the group. They came from middle class families, and were skillful in crafts rather than in extensive agriculture, which would be their work.

Two were the predominant religions: Catholic and Protestant, and two their predominant languages: German and French.

Colonization was cartied out under the principle of the "subdivision of the land, and under the seventh clause of the contract, each family was granted a plot of land equivalent to twenty squared blocks (33 ha.). The land was given in this way: 100 to the West for the German families, and 100 to the East for French speaking families.

This session of 200 concessions implied a plan of agricultural colonization that did not have comparison in its time, with the adjudication of earth made in other regions of the country.

The settlement of the colony by people who spreaded out an organized way of living, deeply rooted in the land, and the division of work, brought about political, economic, cultural and demographic consequences.

The growing of the population on the coast and the transformation of the dessert to tillable lands, made new colonies come to birth.

Esperanza is a symbol of man's work and will to provide for himself, to defend himself and to progress in spite of ill fated facts.

Faith set in a high enterprise gave origin to its name: ESPERANZA.