Concepción de Buena Esperanza—also known as Concepción del Bermejo—was a Spanish city that existed between 1585 and 1632 in the present-day territory of Chaco Province, Argentina. It depended de facto on the Governorate of the Río de la Plata and Paraguay and was claimed by the until 1617, when it became part of the Governorate of Buenos Aires. Its foundation marked the most effective period of Spanish occupation in the region (Concepción became the second city in its governorship), a territory that the Spanish Crown never fully subjugated despite considering it its property. It is worth noting that the first city located in the Gran Chaco region in Argentina would be founded in the second half of the 19th century.The first Argentine city in the Gran Chaco was Reconquista, founded in 1872
Its foundation in 1585 was part of the same founding wave that, starting from Asunción, gave rise to Buenos Aires, Santa Fe de la Vera Cruz, and Corrientes. The city was born in a strategic location, as a stage on the indigenous path known as the , which connected through the Southern Chaco the city of Asunción in the east with the also vanished Talavera del Esteco in the west. Its population was estimated at around 500 people, and economic activity revolved around the trade of goods and especially the encomienda system, through which the Spaniards subjected the numerous indigenous population of the area to forced labor. These encomiendas were located not only in Concepción but also in two indigenous settlements closely linked to it, known as or Matalá and .The evidence indicates that there were three very close settlements, without it being clear whether Matará and Matalá referred to distinct settlements or were a generic name for both.
The belligerence, nomadism, and lack of a common culture among the indigenous nations occupying the Chaco made their adaptation to agricultural work, as well as their evangelization, very difficult. Over the years, resentment toward the Spaniards grew, while the defense of Concepción weakened. In 1631, a coalition of tribes carried out a massive attack on Matará, in whose defense much of Concepción's garrison perished, forcing the survivors to exodus to the city of Corrientes. In the following years, there were several attempts to repopulate the city, but none succeeded, until finally in 1645 its Cabildo was dissolved and its inhabitants became residents of Corrientes. The abandonment of Concepción had disastrous consequences for the commercial line between Paraguay and Tucumán, and in turn left a vast area open to the Chaco tribes, from which they increased their attacks on Spanish cities.
In 1943, Alfredo Martinet discovered the remains of Concepción in what would later be called the Km 75 Ruins, although 15 years passed before the find was definitively linked to the colonial city, and another 13 years for a formal investigation led by historian Eldo Morresi to confirm this conclusion. The main reason for such delay in conclusions was the remoteness of the site from the Bermejo River, on whose banks it was erroneously assumed the settlement should be located. The site—declared a National Historic Place—is located alongside the former , 25 kilometers from Tres Isletas and 75 kilometers from Presidencia Roque Sáenz Peña, which is why it is known as the Km 75 Ruins.There is controversy over whether these sites coincide (Cf.: Marcos Antonio Altamirano - THE KM 75 RUINS AND CONCEPCIÓN DEL BERMEJO). However, they appear separately in the official listings of Historic Monuments. (Cf.: )}}
Geography
With the discovery and study of the Km 75 Ruins, it was definitively established that Concepción del Bermejo was located approximately 60 km west of the river that gave it its name, in an area of 30 hectares centered approximately at coordinates . The site is in a place known as El Destierro, north of Maipú Department (jurisdiction of the municipality of Tres Isletas), and just 2 kilometers from the border with General Güemes Department. It is about 25 kilometers north of Tres Isletas, about 38 kilometers west of Pampa del Indio, and about 38 kilometers southeast of the city of Juan José Castelli.
The former National Route 95 (dirt road) passes by the ruins, crossing a small section transversely. 700 meters to the north is the intersection with Provincial Route No. 29 (also unpaved), which connects it northwest to Castelli and east to Pampa del Indio.
At a minimum distance of 1000 meters eastward and northeastward is the bed—generally dry—of the . To the northwest (about 6.5 km) is another hydrographic feature, the small Chaiqui Lamón Lagoon, whose waters drain during rainy periods southeastward to reach the El Palmar Estuary, 3 kilometers southwest of Concepción.Morresi, Eldo S. (1971), pp. 21
Natural environment
The ruins of Concepción are located in a wooded sector of approximately circular shape with a diameter of about 2.5 km. The tree layer consists of Chaco species in a type. The understory is formed by thorny shrubs that hinder passage and are characteristic of this jungle, known as precisely because of this type of vegetation. According to meteorological data from the city of Juan José Castelli, the rainfall regime corresponds to a transitional Mediterranean-monsoonal type, with two precipitation peaks: one in March and another in December; while the dry period runs from May to September with a minimum in July.Morresi, Eldo S. (1971), pp. 20-22
The average elevation above sea level is 99 meters, with an average gradient of 50 cm per kilometer, somewhat higher than the provincial average. This leveling favors water runoff during rains, which drain into the lateral systems of the Nogueira Stream and Chaiqui Lamón Lagoon. The wooded islet where Concepción was settled serves as a watershed divider for these basins, constituting a privileged site within a wide region, and therefore ideal for an urban settlement.
Regarding the Nogueira Stream, its bed is excessive for the meager amount of water it carries in rainy seasons, so it is certain that in other times it was part of the Bermejo River's hydrological system. It is also impossible to fix the active period of this stream, although it is highly probable that at that time it was at least partially fed by the Bermejo River. Finally, it seems unlikely that the Bermejo River's bed was south of its current fluvial valley during Concepción's time, ruling out its proximity to Concepción during its lifespan.Morresi, Eldo S. (1971), pp. 22
Questions about the location of Concepción The location of Concepción was a great mystery for historians studying it, as the few documents referencing coordinates are imprecise and in many cases incorrect. To this must be added the erroneous belief that the annex del Bermejo in the name referred to its location on the Bermejo River, whose course is known to have varied over these centuries, but without knowing exactly the path it may have taken during Concepción's time. This belief was mainly sustained by a letter in which the founder Alonso de Vera describes having followed the river's course to found the city; the content of this letter was qualified as dark and imprecise,Torre Revello, José (1943), pp. 135.Torre Revello conducted a meticulous analysis of the existing documentation, and strikingly did not venture any opinion on its location and therefore the true meaning of Alonso de Vera's words was questioned.Morresi, Eldo S. (1971), pp. 28 It is also logical to assume that a watercourse as important as the Bermejo would be fundamental for choosing the site of a human settlement; however, during the foundation of Concepción, the existence of an indigenous settlement was paramount, given the need for labor;Morresi, Eldo S. (1971), pp. 43 the presence of a prior indigenous human nucleus in the creation of Concepción was demonstrated in the archaeological excavations of its remains.
A letter from the Bishop of Tucumán details that Concepción is 40 leagues from Corrientes, which agrees with the location of the Km 75 Ruins. Although not expressed directly, the same distance between Corrientes and Concepción can be deduced from a report by Governor .Morresi, Eldo S. (1971), pp. 51 The most compelling written evidence rejecting Concepción's proximity to the Bermejo River is given by Góngora's report, which explicitly states that neither Concepción nor its encomiendas have a river, but rather a rainwater lagoon and swamps. He also does not mention any active Bermejo course nearby, something the governor could not have overlooked in his report. Another contribution in this regard is a 1775 map—highly accurate for the time—which places Concepción far from the Bermejo River.Morresi, Eldo S. (1971), pp.71
The most precise document regarding its location corresponds to the diaries of Colonel Francisco Gavino Arias's expedition to the Chaco in 1776, nearly 150 years after Concepción's abandonment. Gavino Arias sent Captain Juan José Acevedo to clarify the exact site of Concepción. The expedition was successful, stating that the remains were in the southern part, in a very thick forest and impenetrable thicket... that would be about 30 leagues from this camp at La Cangayé.... As confirming data, we have that the bell from the destroyed Concepción del Bermejo was later installed in the temple of the La Cangayé reduction. The discovery of the La Cangayé ruins would be vital to restrict the search radius for Concepción using Arias's references.
Historian Altamirano, for his part, proposes an alternative solution: Concepción was founded on the Bermejo River and later moved to the site of the Km 75 ruins. He takes as references the statements of —contemporary with the foundation—who calls it Puerto de la Concepción, as well as those of priests Martín Dobrizhoffer and José Solís, both in the18th century; Dobrizhoffer claims to have seen the city ruins covered by algarrobos, and Solís that it was founded 90 leagues from Santiago del Estero, a distance equivalent to that of the Bermejo River. The founding act itself established the power to move it, and Altamirano assumes this was done due to the impossibility of subjugating the indigenous people of the first settlement and the need for indigenous labor, which they found among the Matará people.
Urban layout One of the greatest difficulties in associating the Km 75 Ruins with Concepción has been the lack of a historical plan of the extinct city. The detailed plan of the ruins made by Alfredo Martinet and his son in 1958 nevertheless allowed associating them with Concepción, considering the city's size (approximately 30 hectares), which not only rules out the possibility of an indigenous settlement but coincides with contemporary testimonies regarding its population, estimated at around 500 people.In reality, there is a census figure of 80 neighbors, from which a total of 500 inhabitants is deduced. The title of city was clearly pompous for the size of the town, although at that time city titles were more a legal figure than an urban reality.Morresi, Eldo S. (1971, pp. 76
Concepción's layout was characterized by constructions of the pisé type, typical of Spanish cities of the era.Concepción was mainly compared to the ruins of Cayastá (belonging to old Santa Fe) and those of . All constructions respond to square or rectangular forms, with subdivision of blocks into solars observed.
The site is level, except for some depressions that surely served initially to extract earth for building and later as water reservoirs.Morresi, Eldo S. (1971), pp. 75 The norm of the era included a grid layout, which we do not find in Concepción. However, there were also cities that did not respect the grid, though they did the rectangular form, among which we can highlight Asunción del Paraguay and , which shares with Concepción both the foundation date and the abandonment date.Morresi, Eldo S. (1971), pp.77-78