Del turismo escolar y sanitario infantil al turismo social: Colonias de vacaciones en la Provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina

Abstract

The early twentieth century saw the rise of vacation camps for frail children as educational and health-giving experiences provided by medical and philanthropic organizations. This article analyzes some of these early experiences, seen here as the predecessors of social tourism, in the Province of Buenos Aires. A combination of written sources are examined, mainly institutional reports, periodicals such as the Monitor de la Educación Común – published by the Consejo Nacional de Educación (National Board of Education) – or laws, with photographs and plans for different examples. I argue that these buildings were both physical and cultural “brands” in the places where they were located, and that their architectural structure encapsulated ideas about leisure space and cures in unique natural environments.