The first permanent settlements in Argentina came during the mid–1500s from the west as colonists, coming over the Andes Mountains from Peru, settled Santiago del Estero, Tucumán, and other northwestern mountain towns. As Argentina did not have the silver and gold the Spaniards were seeking, Buenos Aires, settled in 1580, and other coastal towns grew much slower than their counterparts in the northwestern mountains. | The first permanent settlements in Argentina came during the mid–1500s from the west as colonists, coming over the Andes Mountains from Peru, settled Santiago del Estero, Tucumán, and other northwestern mountain towns. As Argentina did not have the silver and gold the Spaniards were seeking, Buenos Aires, settled in 1580, and other coastal towns grew much slower than their counterparts in the northwestern mountains. |