When night falls in the city of Buenos Aires, on 9 de Julio Avenue, it is inevitable not to stop for a moment in front of the obelisk, contemplate it for a second, and sigh in awe of its majesty.

It’s impossible to think of the city without its obelisk, that icon built to commemorate the fourth centenary of the founding of Buenos Aires. Yes, you heard that right, Buenos Aires is over 400 years old! Its first foundation was in the year 1536.

But did you know that at first the neighbors opposed it and wanted to tear it down?

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This imposing monument was inaugurated on May 23rd, 1936, in the same place where the church of San Nicolás de Bari was located. Fun fact, the church was the first place where the Argentine flag was raised!

Just like the Eiffel Tower for Paris or the Statue of Liberty for New York, the obelisk is undoubtedly the undisputed emblem for the “porteños”... but not everything was “rosy” from the beginning. There is a very curious fact: its construction was strongly resisted by the neighbors who did not agree with it. “It is aesthetically ugly”, said those who were used to contemplating other kinds of architecture. Even three years after its inauguration, the Deliberating Council sanctioned its demolition, arguing safety, aesthetic and economic reasons. Finally, that decision was questioned by the president and the demolition was suspended.

Thank goodness they didn't demolish it! Today, after so many years of agreements and disagreements, it has become one of the main meeting points for demonstrations and celebrations. We cannot fail to mention that December 2022, when more than 5 million Argentines (yes, you heard right, more than 5 million Argentines) gathered there to celebrate the long-awaited 'third star'. The Argentine National Soccer Team became world champion for the third time, after 36 years, and naturally, we celebrated at the obelisk. 

In terms of structure, we can mention that it is 67.5 meters high, with a staircase of 206 steps and 7 landings to reach its viewpoint. Unfortunately for Argentines, this is not the tallest obelisk, much less the first in history. This is one coronation of glory we cannot take.

So, shall we talk a little history? The truth is that these imposing structures emerged as an emblem of ancient Egypt. These huge pillars of a single piece have exerted an irresistible fascination for different civilizations throughout history.

Today, perhaps the most famous contemporary obelisk is the Washington Monument, dedicated to the first U.S. president, George Washington. In Houston, Texas, the 'world's tallest' obelisk sits (or stands, rather) at 172.92 meters: the San Jacinto Monument. 

Maybe the obelisk of Buenos Aires is not the first, nor the tallest, but if you ask an Argentinean he will surely tell you that it is 'the most beautiful in the world', because the obelisk is, without a doubt, the materialization of the soul of Buenos Aires.

You’ve been listening to Further Records, a podcast by Further Corporate.

In this episode, we used certain phrases associated with today’s topic! Have you heard of these before?

• Landing: A platform inbetween flights of stairs. Usually these separate long stairs, and give an opportunity to take a break.
• Viewpoint: A section in a tall building where there is a window you can look out of
• Aesthetic: The set of rules that supposedly dictate what is beautiful and what isn’t
• Demonstration: An event in which a large number of people concentrate in public for political reasons. A form of demonstration is a protest, for example.
• Undoubtedly: A word which means “without a doubt” or “certainly”
• Undisputed: A word which means “not disputed”, “not questioned”, something that is accepted as fact.

To keep boosting your English journey, you can listen to more of our episodes on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also review the vocabulary on our YouTube channel, Further Corporate.

If there’s any other topic you’d like to know more about, send us a message on instagram! It’s @furthercorporate.

See you next time!

Sources:

•  https://turismo.buenosaires.gob.ar/es/otros-establecimientos/obelisco
• https://www.infobae.com/sociedad/2023/05/23/el-obelisco-cumple-87-anos-la-historia-del-monumento-que-fue-construido-donde-se-izo-por-primera-vez-la-bandera-argentina/
• https://historia.nationalgeographic.com.es/a/obeliscos-modernos-mas-alla-egipto-faraonico_20493
• https://historia.nationalgeographic.com.es/a/obeliscos-emblemas-antiguo-egipto_8740
• https://www.sanjacinto-museum.org/Discover/Monument/

Music and SFX:

'Moonlight' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au

Trio for Piano Violin and Viola Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Xylophone for cartoon (8) by sergeeo -- https://freesound.org/s/202583/ -- License: Attribution 3.0

Laid Back Guitars Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Music: Savour The Moment by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com