Around 300,000 Croats and their descendants live in Argentina, forming the largest Croatian community in South America. About 400 live in the Tierra del Fuego region opposite Antarctica, including roughly 200 in Ushuaia.
The city’s House of Culture, near the port where Croatian emigrants arrived in search of work in the second half of the 19th century, has opened its doors to community groups seeking to preserve their heritage.
Folklore expert Guillermo Terrazas Müller travelled to Ushuaia and from Wednesday to Friday held workshops in cooperation with local Croats.
“During the sessions we worked on techniques, steps, music and elements of regional interpretation, because each region in Croatia has its own specific characteristics in clothing, music and dance,” the professor told local radio station Aire Libre.
He brought six traditional costumes that will remain with the Croatian community in Ushuaia. The costumes originate from the Croatian regions of Slavonia, Posavina and Prigorje and will be used in future performances.
The workshops were not limited to descendants of Croatian migrants, who once came to the area in search of gold and worked on railway construction, trade and maritime activities.
“The activities are open to everyone interested because participation by people from other communities also enriches the group,” he said.
An exhibition titled “Our Roots at the End of the World” will open in the historic Beban family house.
The Croatian Civic Association in Argentina said the building held deep historical and emotional significance because it had belonged to the Beban family, Croatian immigrants who settled in Ushuaia in the late 19th century.
Their home was the first house in the city purchased from a catalogue and shipped by sea in parts. It became known as the first house in Ushuaia with an indoor toilet and as a centre of the city’s main social events at the time.