Welsh Language in Patagonia
Gaiman is the home of Wales in Argentina
In the latter half of the 19th Century, the Industrial Revolution was at its peak and the demand for coal and steel was immense. This had a huge effect on Wales. There were plentiful jobs, but they were attracting large numbers of immigrants and this was putting a terrible strain on the Welsh language and a culture that had endured for centuries.
Welsh Leave Liverpool on the Clipper Mimosa
In 1865, a group of 153 men, women and children, who wanted to find a land where they could live according to their beliefs and ideals boarded the Clipper ‘Mimosa’ at Liverpool. The group, led by Captain Love Jones-Parry and Lewis Jones, sailed South to Argentina and landed 1400Km South of Buenos Aires at Puerto Madryn, named after Jones-Parry’s estate in Wales.
They immediately hit difficulty. The land they had been promised as, ‘A lowland Wales’, was actually an arid semi-desert with little in the way of drinking water. This forced the settlers to march inland until they found the Chubut River.
Even then, they struggled. The group had a wide range of skills, but one they had overlooked was farming. This, allied to a lack of understanding about the reversal of the seasons in the Southern Hemisphere meant that the settlers were in danger of being wiped out. Fortunately, the local Tuhuelche Indians befriended them and taught them how to survive in the harsh landscape.
With this help, the group flourished and founded a number of settlements in the area, Trelew, (Lewis Town in Welsh), Rawson and Gaiman. As they began to understand the land and the way to farm it, the immigrants developed Argentina’s first irrigation system and turned the area into a major wheat producing area.
Welsh Assembly Send Teachers to Patagonia
The Welsh language and culture was declining in the area, with only the older generation speaking the language, but recent initiatives from the Welsh Assembly Government have helped renew interest amongst the young. Teachers from Wales are supplied on secondment to help the language to flourish and in 2004, the Welsh rugby team played Argentina in Puerto Madryn, with the team giving coaching sessions at local clubs and schools.
Gaiman, Welsh Tea Houses & Princess Diana
The village of Gaiman is the best place to see the Welsh culture and hear the language spoken. Shops here are as likely to advertise their wares in Welsh as in Spanish. Some of the oldest buildings in the area are here, stone chapels and the old railway station, built to help transport the wheat to market in Buenos Aires, which is now a museum to the Welsh Immigrants.
Gaiman is also the home of a number of Welsh tea houses, where tourists can come to eat delicious home baked cakes and scones, including the local specialty Torte Negra and of course plenty of tea. When Princess Diana visited Patagonia in 1995 she took tea at ‘Ty Te Caerdydd’, Cardiff Tea House, and was entertained by a school choir singing in Welsh. The cup and saucer she used is still on display, unwashed.
Good times to visit this area are July 28th, when ‘Gwyl Glaniad’ or Landing Day is celebrated, commemorating the arrival of Love Jones-Parry and the Mimosa and also when the Eisteddfod is held, a music and poetry festival based on the traditional Welsh events. The Eisteddfod is held in late July with competitions in both Welsh and Spanish.
As well as its Welsh heritage, this area is also world renowned for fossil hunting and is an excellent venue for whale watching.
Taking Tea in Gaiman
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