#524 Argentina...Thanks Tomas!

The two $1 stamps are from 2009 Buildings Endowed With Historical Value issue showing facade and the Golden Hall of French Embassy:Ortiz Basualdo Palace built in 1918.

Designed in 1912 by French architect Paul Pater, who is also behind the Tigre Club building, the construction of the palace was extended by several years. In 1925, during the presidency of Marcelo T. Alvear, where both the district and the country were in their heyday, served as official residence of the Prince of Wales, who allegedly showed his admiration for the refined comfort and grandeur of the building. But France, who eventually would take final possession of the palace in 1939 to transform their embassy in Buenos Aires.

#506 Argentina...Thanks Vivian!

The left 75c stamp was issued in 2006 celebrating Centenary of Esquel,which is a town in the northwest of the province of Chubut, in the Argentine Patagonia. It is located in the Futaleufú Department, of which it is the government's site. The town's name derives from a Mapuche term meaning "thorn", which refers to the characteristics of the local flora, including several spiny bushes, most famously the Calafate (Berberis buxifolia).

The founding of the town dates back to the arrival of Welsh immigrants in Chubut in 1865. The settlement was created on 25 February 1906, as an extension of the Colonia 16 de Octubre, now known as Trevelin.

The middle 75c stamp is from 2003 Christmas issue showing Purmamarca clay creche figures.

The right 75c stamp is from 2003 20th Century Architecture issue depicting Barolo Palace in Buenos Aires.

During the 1910s. two people dreamed of bringing poet Dante Alighieri´s ashes to Buenos Aires: the industrialist Luis Barolo (1869-1922) and the architect Mario Palanti (1885-1979). For this purpose they built a sanctuary on 1300 Av. De Mayo.

The Barolo Palace was the highest city building before the Kavanagh was built in 1935. It has a height of 100 metres ending on the lantern which used to have 300.000 bulbs. On September 14 1923 it transmitted with its lights the result of the boxing bout between Firpo and Dempsey.

Built in an architectural style combining references to Venetian gothic and religious Indian architecture, the Barolo Palace surprised people from the very beginning. The Argentine historian Carlos Hilger asserts that this is the major example of “esoteric” architecture from the beginning the 20th. Century.

The building has plenty of references to Dante. The bulbs in the cupola represent the nine angelical choirs and the mystical rose. In the cupola we find the Southern Cross which can be seen aligned with the axis of the Barolo Palace during the first days of June at 19.45 hs.

The general division of the building and the poem is done in three parts: Hell, Purgatory and Heaven. The ground floor is Hell, the first 14 floors are Purgatory, and following floors are Paradise and the cupola represents God.

The number of Hell hierarchies is nine, and nine are the arches of access to the building which represent initiation steps. Each arch has Latin phrases taken from nine different works from the Bible to Virgil. The cupola resembles that of the Budanishar Hindu temple dedicated to Tantra “representing the union between Dante and Beatrice.

The songs from Dante´s work are a hundred just as the height of the building is a 100 mts. The majority of songs in the poem have eleven or twenty two stanzas; the building has eleven modules per front, and twenty two modules per block. The height is twenty two floors. This set of numbers represents the circle which was, to Dante the perfect figure.

The Barolo Palace has been Historical National Monument since 1997.

#447 Argentina...Thanks Vivian!

#392 Argentina...Thanks Viviana!

This set of 4 stamps is 2006 Auto Racing issue showing Ford Escort,Toyota Corolla WRC,Ford Focus and Ford Falcon.

#344 Argentina...Thanks Viviana!

#330 Argentina...Thanks Viviana!

This FDC was issued in Apr.2010 celebrating 100th Anniversary of the Symphonic Band of Buenos Aires City, showing portrait of Antonio Malvagni, director and founder of the band..

#309 Argentina...Thanks Lilian!

#263 Argentina...Thanks Viviana!

This souvenir sheet was issued in 2006 commemorating Bicentenary of first British Invasion of Buenos Aires and Reconquest.

The British invasions of the Río de la Plata were a series of unsuccessful British attempts to seize control of the Spanish colonies located around the La Plata Basin in South America (today part of Argentina and Uruguay). The invasions took place between 1806 and 1807, as part of the Napoleonic Wars, when Spain was an ally of France.

The invasions occurred in two phases. A detachment from the British Army occupied Buenos Aires for 46 days in 1806 before being expelled. In 1807, a second force occupied Montevideo, remaining for several months, and a third force made a second attempt to take Buenos Aires. After several days of street-fighting against the local militia and Spanish colonial army, in which half of the British forces were killed or wounded, the British were forced to withdraw.

The resistance of the local people and their active participation in the defence, with little direct support from Spain, were important steps toward the May Revolution in 1810, and the Argentine Declaration of Independence in 1816.

#253 Argentina...Thanks Ricardo!

The $5 stamp showing a Tracktor is from 2009 Mercosur Products for Export issue.

Mercosur (Southern Common Market) is a Regional Trade Agreement between Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay founded in 1991 by the Treaty of Asunción, which was later amended and updated by the 1994 Treaty of Ouro Preto. Its purpose is to promote free trade and the fluid movement of goods, people, and currency. The official languages are Portuguese and Spanish.

Mercosur origins trace back to 1985 when Presidents Raúl Alfonsín of Argentina and José Sarney of Brazil signed the Argentina-Brazil Integration and Economics Cooperation Program or PICE.The program also proposed the Gaucho as a currency for regional trade.

Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru currently have associate member status. Venezuela signed a membership agreement on 17 June 2006, but before becoming a full member its entry has to be ratified by the Paraguayan parliament. The founding of the Mercosur Parliament was agreed at the December 2004 presidential summit. It should have 18 representatives from each country by 2010.Israel is currently the only non-South American free trade partner.

The $1 stamp in the middle was issued in 2009 commemorating 150th Anniversary of the Children of the Holy Virgin at the Orchard Congregation, in Argentina representing one of the apostolic work of the Congregation: teaching in schools. Downtown, San Antonio Maria Gianelli blessing to the sisters and students. The work belongs to the Congregation of the Daughters of Mary Garden.

The next $1 stamp was also issued in 2009 commemorating 100th Anniversary of Exaltation of the Holy Cross Parish in Santa Cruz showing view of the facade and detail of the stained glass of the main rosette.

#218 Argentina...Thanks German!

The four $1 stamps are 2008 Stories and Songs issue illustrating Mail's Song,Big Brother,Scarecrow and Letters to Santa Claus.

The 50c stamp is from 2009 Unidad Postal series showing views of Iruya,which is a small town in northwestern Argentina. It is located in the Salta Province of northwestern Argentina, and is the capital of the Iruya Department. Located in the altiplano region along the Iruya river, Iruya sits nestled against the mountainside at an elevation of 2,780 meters . It is very remote, located over 300 kilometers from the province capital of Salta, and a 50-km portion of the route to Iruya is unpaved.Nonetheless, the town is popular with tourists for its scenic location and townscape and friendly locals.

#212 Argentina...Thanks Horacio!

These stamps are from Archaeological Artifacts definitives issued in 2000.

The 50c stamp shows Andean verticle loom from Mapuche culture.

The Mapuche are one of the indigenous inhabitants of Central and Southern Chile and Southern Argentina.Mapuche make up about 4% of the Chilean population,who are particularly concentrated in the Araucania Region.

Many Mapuche descendants now live across southern Chile and Argentina; some maintain their traditions and continue living from agriculture, but a growing majority have migrated to cities in search of better economic opportunities.

The 25c stamp shows a musical pipes called Siku.

Siku is a traditional Andean panpipe. This instrument is the main instrument used in a musical genre known as the Sikuri. It is traditionally found all across the Andes but is more typically associated with music from the regions around Lake Titicaca. Historically because of the complicated mountain geography of the region, and due to other factors, in some regions each community would develop its own type of siku, with its own special tuning, shape and size. Additionally each community developed its own style of playing. Today the siku has been standardized to fit in with modern western forms of music and has been transported from its traditional roots.

The $2 stamp shows a Mapuche Tambor drum.

The $5 stamp shows a Funerary Urn from Belén culture.

The $10 stamp shows a Vessel from Yocavil culture,which is a tribe of Diaguita people,who developed between the 8th and 16th centuries in what are now the provinces of Salta, Catamarca, La Rioja and Tucumán in northwestern Argentina, and in the Atacama and Coquimbo regions of northern Chile.

#179 Argentine...Thanks Viviana!

The $6 stamp was issued in 2009 celebrating International Philatelic Festival “Italy 2009”,showing Columbus Theatre in Buenos Aires.

The Teatro Colón (Spanish) (Columbus Theatre) is the main opera house in Buenos Aires.Considered one of the best five opera houses in the world, it was opened the 25 of May of 1908 with Verdi's Aïda.

The present theatre, the second with that name, opened in 1908 after twenty years under construction, and was inaugurated by Puerto Rican tenor Antonio Paoli. The auditorium is horseshoe-shaped, has 2,487 seats , standing room for 1,000 and a stage which is 20 m wide, 15 m high and 20 m deep.

For many years Argentina was a prosperous country with a booming economy, and the Teatro Colón was visited by the foremost singers and opera companies of the time.

This FDC was issued in Mar.2010 commemorating Bicentenary of the May Revolution.

The May Revolution was a week-long series of revolutionary events that took place from May 18 to 25, 1810, in Buenos Aires, capital of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata, a colony of the Spanish Crown, which contained the present-day nations of Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay and Uruguay. These events are commemorated in Argentina as "May Week". The consequences of the events were that the viceroy, Baltasar Hidalgo de Cisneros, was ousted from office and a local government, Primera Junta, was instituted on May 25. The May Revolution is considered the starting point of the Argentine War of Independence, although no formal declaration of independence was issued at the time, and in fact the Junta governed in the name of the Spanish king. Similar events occurred in other cities of Spanish South America as news of the dissolution of the Spanish Supreme Junta arrived, and so the May Revolution is also considered one of the starting points of the Spanish American wars of independence.

This FDC was issued in Feb.2010 celebrating “South American Sails 2010”,An International Fixture Regatta for the Greatest Sailing Ships.

“Sails of South America 2010” has brought together magnificent sailing ships, among them frigates, schooners and brigs from various countries of the Americas and Europe to participate in the Bicentennial Regatta.

The event is organized by the navies from Argentina and Chile to celebrate the bicentennial of the first national governing board during the struggle of South American countries to break away from the then Spanish colonial empire.

The unique challenge has gathered thousands of navigators in the most important ports of the region, sailing emblematic places for the mariners of all times, like the circumnavigation of the mythical “Cape Horn”.

This FDC is National Children Drawing Contest issued in 2009 with theme "I Can Stop Tuberculosis".

Tuberculosis or TB (short for Tubercles Bacillus) is a common and often deadly infectious disease caused by mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis in humans.Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body. It is spread through the air, when people who have the disease cough, sneeze, or spit. Most infections in humans result in an asymptomatic, latent infection, and about one in ten latent infections eventually progresses to active disease, which, if left untreated, kills more than 50% of its victims.

A third of the world's population are thought to be infected with M. tuberculosis,and new infections occur at a rate of about one per second.The proportion of people who become sick with tuberculosis each year is stable or falling worldwide but, because of population growth, the absolute number of new cases is still increasing.In 2007 there were an estimated 13.7 million chronic active cases, 9.3 million new cases, and 1.8 million deaths, mostly in developing countries. In addition, more people in the developed world are contracting tuberculosis because their immune systems are compromised by immunosuppressive drugs, substance abuse, or AIDS. The distribution of tuberculosis is not uniform across the globe; about 80% of the population in many Asian and African countries test positive in tuberculin tests, while only 5-10% of the US population test positive.

#178 Argentine...Thanks Viviana!

This FDC is the third series of Argentine Festivals issued on Feb.20,2010.

National Apple Festival.General Roca,Province of Rio Negro.

It started in 1942,when the "fruit Workers and Wine Harvest Festival" was celebrated in Fernandez Oro.In 1964 the "Apple Festival" was officially instituted and two years later,the National government granted "National" category setting its headquarters in General Roca.The next edition of the "National Apple Festival" will take place from Feb.10 through 14,2010,with the presence of internationally renowned artists.The National Apple Queen will be elected a day before closing the Festival and during the last day a "Packers Contest" and an "Apple Wight Contest" will take place.

National Sun Festival.San Juan,Province of San Juan.

Since 1972,the inhabitants of the San Juan Province pay tribute to the sun that accompanies them for over 300 days a year,through the National Sun Festival.The next edition of this festival will be held between Feb.23-26,2010,having the Bicentenial as its main theme.Another great attraction will be the Sun Carrousel,running through San Juan's streets it will represent the 19 districts of the province and the communities of foreigners that settled in San Juan.During the closing the National Sun Queen will be elected and a magnificent show called "Voices of freedom"will be presented.

National Students Festival.San Salvador de Jujuy,Province of Jujuy.

In 1949 San Salvador de Jujuy became the site of the "National youth Festival",and in 1952 the "National Students Festival" began its most glorious stage.Since 1972 it became an authentic National Festival that starts on Sep.21 and goes on for ten days.They say that during this time the city becomes "the capital of Youth and Spring", with parades of carriages built by young people and the election of the Students Queen.

National Tradition Festival.San Antonio de Areco,Province of Buenos Aires.

Its origin dates back to 1926,when the local press published the book "Don Segundo Sombra", and at the estancia (Argentine farm) "La Portena" folks gathered to honour its author,Ricardo Guiraldes.Years later in 1939,a Provincal Law sanctioned that "Tradition Day" would be a tribute to Jose Hernandez and San Antonio de Areco became the permanent site for the festivities.This year,the Festival will be held between Oct.30 and Nov.10.

#172 Argentine...Thanks Juan!

The $1 stamp on the top of this summer cover was issued in 2009 celebrating National Cherry Festival in Los Antiguos,province of Santa Cruz.

The 50c stamp is from 2000 Archaeological Artifacts definitives issue showing Andean verticle loom from Mapuche culture.

The Mapuche are one of the indigenous inhabitants of Central and Southern Chile and Southern Argentina.Mapuche make up about 4% of the Chilean population,who are particularly concentrated in the Araucania Region.

Many Mapuche descendants now live across southern Chile and Argentina; some maintain their traditions and continue living from agriculture, but a growing majority have migrated to cities in search of better economic opportunities.

The two $1 stamps on the left of the second row are from 2009 Buildings Endowed With Historical Value issue showing Palacio Duhau,a famous hotel in Buenos Aires.

Formerly owned by the Duhau family, the Palacio Duhau was built in 1934 by French architect Leon Dourge. Located on the famous Avenida Alvear in Recoleta, Palacio Duhau is situated in the city's most exclusive and fashionable residential and shopping district in downtown Buenos Aires, Argentina. Stepping out of this luxury hotel, guests will find themselves at the very heart of this beautiful, exciting and endlessly fascinating city.

The hotel now seamlessly incorporates vintage glamour with state-of-the-art design. Nowhere else in Buenos Aires will you find sofas made by the Ferrari seat designers beside a room coated in 17th-century French panelling from a Normandy castle.The hotel's website.