Trelew

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For other uses, see Trelew (disambiguation).

Cities and towns
in Argentina

Trelew

Province	Chubut
Department	Rawson
Location	43°15′ S 65°18′ W
Population	93,386
Demonym	Trelewense
Phone code	+54 2965
CPA base	U9100

Welsh People's Museum, Trelew

National Bank at night

Trelew is a city in the province of Chubut, in the Argentine Patagonia, with a population of 93,386 as per the 2006 census [INDEC]. The city has a small commercial centre. The Salon San David is a replica of St David's Cathedral, Pembrokeshire. It is served by the Almirante Marco Andrés Zar Airport.

[edit] History

Trelew's foundation is linked with Welsh settlement in Argentina, the leaders of which were Captain Sir Love Jones-Parry of Madryn and Lewis (Luis) Jones, who acted as spokesmen to deal with the Argentine government at the beginning in the 1860s. The town was named Trelew in honour of Lewis Jones, tre meaning "town" in Welsh and Lew being an apocope for Lewis.

Trelew was established in 1886 as the starting point for the Central of Chubut Railway line that would link the lower Chubut River valley to Puerto Madryn. Railway building equipment and 400 settlers arrived on July 28 of that same year on the steamer Vesta. The line was opened in 1888 and later extended from Trelew to Gaiman, Dolavon and finally to Las Plumas. In 1961 the line was closed. Racing de Trelew and Huracán de Trelew are the most important local football clubs. Patoruzú Rugby Club and Bigornia Rugby Club are also the local clubs practicing this sport.

[edit] The 1972 massacre

Trelew was the scene of a massacre in 1972. A breakout of political prisoners at the federal penitentiary resulted in the death of one guard and the attempted flight of about 100 individuals who opposed the military dictatorship which followed the overthrow of President Arturo Illia. A small group of prisoners succeeded in commandeering a plane and flying to safety in Chile. The rest submitted to the authorities and were returned to a military prison, where 16 were gunned down in cold blood (three survived). The town of Trelew was searched by the military and locals were seized and taken to the Villa Devote prison in Buenos Aires. Virtually the entire town went on strike and succeeded in securing the release of the prisoners at Villa Devoto. These incidents were documented in the book La Pasión según Trelew, by Tomás Eloy Martínez, which was originally published in 1973, but was then suppressed by the dictatorship of the Proceso, and reissued in 1997.

Trelew is the centre of the touristic travels to the Central Meseta, the Valley of the Chubut River and the coast. Punta Tombo, the biggest penguin reserve in South America, is accessible from the city.