La Rioja Province, Argentina
| La Rioja | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Province | |||
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| Country | Argentina | ||
| Capital | La Rioja | ||
| Divisions | 18 departments | ||
| Government | |||
| • Governor | Sergio Casas | ||
| • Senators | |||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 89,680 km2 (34,630 sq mi) | ||
| Population (2010) | |||
| • Total | 333,642 | ||
| • Rank | 21st | ||
| • Density | 3.7/km2 (9.6/sq mi) | ||
| Demonym(s) | Riojano | ||
| Time zone | ART (UTC−3) | ||
| ISO 3166 code | AR-F | ||
| Website | larioja |
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La Rioja (Spanish pronunciation: [la ˈrjoxa]) is one of the provinces of Argentina and is located in the west of the country. Neighboring provinces are from the north clockwise Catamarca, Córdoba, San Luis and San Juan. The dinosaur Riojasaurus is named after the province.
Petroglyphs created by early indigenous peoples at the Talampaya National Park are dated around 10,000 years BC. Succeeding cultures of indigenous peoples developed here. The Diaguita, Capayan and the Olongasta peoples inhabited the territory of present-day La Rioja Province at the time of encounter with the Spanish colonists in the 16th century.
Juan Ramírez de Velazco founded Todos los Santos de la Nueva Rioja in 1591 under the government of Tucumán of the Viceroyalty of Peru. In 1630 the Calchaquí people revolted against the Spanish, but the governor Albornoz suppressed them.
In 1783, after the creation of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata, the control of the province of 10,000 inhabitants passed to the Córdoba independency. The province acquired independence from Córdoba in 1820. Following attempts by Bernardino Rivadavia, the first elected President of Argentina, to impose a centralist constitution, the caudillo Juan Facundo Quiroga emerged as a popular leader. He represented their preference for more autonomy, for which they continued to press following Quiroga's 1835 assassination. After a period of internal instability in Argentina, the province finally joined the Argentine Confederation in 1853.
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