Argentina

Argentina
Argentina: World Factbook, 2009
Area	2,766,890 sq km
Population	40,913,584 (July 2009)
Languages	Spanish (Official), English, French, German, Italian
Religions	Roman Catholic 92% (less than 20% practicing), Protestant 2%, Jewish 2%, other 4%
Ethnicity	white (mostly Spanish and Italian) 97%, mestizo (mixed white and Amerindian ancestry), Amerindian, or other non-white groups 3%
Number of Groups Associated with MWC	3

Argentina is a country located in the southern part of South America on the Atlantic Coast and is bordered by Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay. Argentina has an area of 2,766,890 square kilometers and a population (July 2009) of 40,913,584. It is the second largest country in South America. Currently (2009), there are Mennonites of Russian, Hispanic, and indigenous descent. To learn more about Anabaptist-related groups in the Caribbean, Central or South America click here.

A Mennonite presence began in Argentina when missionaries from the United States' Mennonite Church (MC) came to the country in 1917 and started the Iglesia Evangélica Menonita Argentina. They carried out the heart of their missionary work 80-240 kilometers west of Buenos Aires. Mennonite missionaries began work in the Cordoba province in 1935, in the north Chaco in 1943, and in Buenos Aires in 1949.

In 1948 a group of 150 Russian Mennonites en route to Paraguay stayed in Argentina after their trip stalled in Buenos Aires. Additional Russian Mennonites came from Paraguay, eventually the groupm, the Altkolonier Mennonitengemeinde 'Nueva Esperanza', grew to 400 members.

Anabaptist-Related Groups

In 2006 there were three Anabaptist related groups associated with Mennonite World Conference in Argentina:

• Alianza Evangélica Menonita

• Altkolonier Mennonitengemeinde 'Nueva Esperanza'

• Iglesia Evangélica Menonita Argentina

Electronic Resources

2006 Mennonite World Conference Directory for Caribbean, Central and South America

Annotated Bibliography

• Agrupación Menonita Latinoamericana de Comunicaciones. http://www.amlac.org.ar/ (accessed 24 June 2009).

This is the official website for the Agrupación Menonita Latinoamericana de Comunicaciones (Latin American Mennonite Association for Communication). The website is an excellent resource for information about the various branches of the Anabaptist church in Latin America. It includes sections describing what the association is and its history. Additionally, the group posts a twice monthly news bulletin online. Also included on the site are links to various congregations and conferences in Latin America as well as Anabaptist seminaries in Latin America.

Archives and Libraries

• Iglesia Evangélica Menonita de Argentina Archives

The church collected and stored archival materials in a room at the Mennonite church in Bragado. In the late 1960s the collection was moved to the Floresta Mennonite Church (Iglesia Menonita de Floresta) in Buenos Aries where Ernesto Vilela cared for them until he died. In 2008 Luis María Alman Bornes moved the archives back to Floresta. To learn more contact Luis at Alman.Bornes@gmail.com.

• Argentine Mennonite Libraries

IEMA has a small conference library along with archives. It consists of a small number of uncatalogued books in English and Spanish. Additionally, the Instituto Bíblico Menonita, a Bible institute in Bragado, Argentina sponsored by the Argentine Mennonite Church, had a small library. The library closed in 1954, and in 1956 most the collection moved to the new Mennonite seminary in Montevideo, Uruguay.

External Links

Argentina on Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online

Iglesia Anabautista de Buenos Aires