He lived in a large house on Avenida Alvear, now Avenida del Libertador, across from the Palermo Gardens, and was a descendant of notables like his father, the poet Juan Cruz Varela, and his grandparents Florencio Varela and Juan de Dios Castex. This great figure of the late 19th century displayed his talent for the salons and his almost obsessive love of mechanics, sculpture, and chiseling with equal skill. He traveled frequently to France, where he mingled in artistic and high-society circles, although he spent much of his time abroad connecting with the latest developments in science and technology.

But perhaps the most important moment in Varela Castex's life was when he came across the first automobiles circulating on the streets in Paris. It was love at first sight. The fanatic of mechanical inventions fell madly in love with the new invention and in 1887 shipped a steam-powered vehicle from France, which arrived at the port of Buenos Aires after a two-month voyage by ship.

That steam-powered tricycle had been manufactured by De Dion, Bourton, and Trepadoux especially for the Argentine. Because of the large boiler in the rear, the car was christened "Cacerola" (Saucepan) by the locals, a nickname that was extended to its owner. Another version says that the nickname was due to a very unusual hat Varela wore.

The first conflict Varela Castex had when importing the self-propelled tricycle was with Customs, which hadn't established appraisals for this type of "merchandise". It wasn't easy convincing the customs agents that the device was an automobile. From the port, the tricycle arrived packed in a huge wooden crate to Varela Castex's house, where it was assembled and modified to fit the country's roads, which were very different from those of France.

A couple of years later, Varela Castex brought with him a Daimler automobile. This car is, presumably, the one currently owned by the Argentine Automobile Club. In 1895, he introduced the Benz, which became the first officially patented vehicle in Argentina, earning it Number One on the new municipal registry. This strange device further increased the surprise of the locals, as it had an electric ignition powered by a two-volt accumulator and a breaker; it had no carburetor, and the fuel was supplied by air intake.

Varela Castex's euphoria didn't stop there, as he continued bringing cars to the country. A Decauville, a Panhard, and another De Dion Bourton were added to the crowded garden on Alvear Avenue.

Dalmiro Varela Castex was a friend of General Julio Argentino Roca, President of the Republic, who enjoyed the pioneer's "risky" driving down Brasil Street in Lezama Park on rainy days.

In early 1904, Angel J. de Alvear consulted Varela Castex about what could be done to protect the interests of automobile owners and improve roadways in the country. Varela, who during his time as a councilman had developed several projects and had successfully paved Alvear Avenue, which earned him much criticism, brought together several sportsmen, and, on his initiative and that of Baron de Marchi, an institution was created to "watch over and promote the development of automobile racing." From that meeting, which took place at the headquarters of the Argentine Equestrian Society on June 11, 1904, the Argentine Automobile Club was born, an institution of which he was the first president and member No. 1.

He was also the driving force behind the regulation that imposed a driver's license ("chauffeur") for driving automobiles in the City of Buenos Aires. On February 14, 1906, Varela Castex obtained Driver's License No. 1, in which the Director of Public Traffic certified that he lived at Avenida Alvear 1735 and that "...he did not present an examination certificate." This was logical, since, as the first motorist in the country, no one was qualified to administer his exam.

The first cars that circulated in Buenos Aires, although they had license plates, did not pay taxes, but after the founding of the A.C.A., the Municipality imposed numbering and the collection of taxes. The first license plate was made of enameled iron, black, and with a white number. It measured 30.5 cm by 12 cm, and the number itself was 7.5 cm by 7.5 cm. No inscription indicated that it was imposed by the Municipality, and they bore no year or category, as only the few automobiles imported from Europe and the United States were in circulation.

Varela Castex had his license plate, and as president of the A.C.A. (Argentine Automobile Association) and the country's first user, he obtained the number 1, convinced that it was his by right. When Joaquín de Anchorena became Mayor of Buenos Aires in 1910, he stipulated that the license plate with the first number should belong to the city's "Lord Mayor." A famous dispute then arose with Varela Castex, whose right to bear the "magic" number had been denied. Dalmiro declared to anyone who would listen that "...not even the Holy Spirit will take away that privilege." But the Holy Spirit wasn't necessary to subdue the first Argentine motorist, as President Roque Sáenz Peña himself intervened and decided that the number 1 belonged to the mayor's car. Defeated by the highest national authority, Varela Castex opted to use the license plate given to him by the Municipality, but adding a small number 1.

He was one of the pioneers of motorsports, participating in races as a competitor and as an inspector, passing on that dedication to his son, Juan Cruz. In 1929, when the A.C.A. celebrated its 25th anniversary, he was named an honorary member.

He died in Buenos Aires in January 1935.

Transcription authorized by Juan Pablo Vignau of his article "El Número Uno" (Number One) published in the magazine Autos de Epoca.

When even dogs paid taxes...

If you lived near Plaza de Mayo, the dog owner paid more. A tax was also levied on bicycle owners and those who had a plate with the number on the front of their house.

Any resident living within six blocks of Plaza de Mayo who owns a dog must pay a tax of fifteen pesos, and if they live outside that radius, the tax will be six pesos. Anyone who owns a bicycle also has to pay a fee of 10 pesos annually. When it comes time to pay, there is also a fee for the plate number on the front of each house. These are tax requirements that were in effect at some point in Buenos Aires' history.

The oldest tax receipts on display date from 1841, when Brigadier General Juan Manuel de Rosas was the strongman of Buenos Aires.

The Dog Taxes date back to Rosas's era: an 1845 decree established a 15-peso license fee for animals living within six blocks of Plaza de Mayo (then Plaza de la Victoria) or 3 pesos for those living in rural areas. At that time, the problem wasn't dog feces. "Since colonial times, they've posed a threat due to the existence of rabies. Their reproduction was favored by the ease of obtaining food and the activity of the salting houses," Lidia González, from the City Historical Institute, explains to this newspaper.

In 1901, there were no cars in Buenos Aires, and therefore, there was no vehicle tax yet. But carriages, bicycles, and velocipedes (those striking vehicles with gigantic front wheels) paid a license fee. A resident of Venezuela 715 paid 5 pesos for his bicycle that year. If he hadn't, he risked having it confiscated and stored in a municipal warehouse.

Authorized by Eduardo Videla from his article "When Even Dogs Paid Taxes," published in Pagina 12.

Provincialization of the National Territories:

Article 13 of the National Constitution provides for the admission of new provinces, and Law No. 1532 establishes: "When the population of a Governorate reaches 60,000 inhabitants, as confirmed by the National Census and subsequent Supplementary Censuses, it shall be entitled to be declared an Argentine Province." "For this purpose, 15 Constituent Convention members shall be elected and shall meet in their respective capitals to draft the new Provincial Constitution, and new representatives from these provinces shall be elected to the National Congress within 90 days of the law's enactment. The Constituent Assembly shall notify the central government so that elections for provincial authorities may be called within the next 90 days. These authorities shall assume office within 30 days of the election, ceasing all national intervention."

LA PAMPA and EL CHACO: Projects for their provincialization date back to September 9, 1908, as by then La Pampa already had a sufficient population to comply with Law No. 1532. There were many subsequent unsuccessful attempts: 1910, 1913, 1916 (with 101,391 inhabitants, many more than La Rioja, Catamarca, and Jujuy, which had been proclaimed provinces much earlier with fewer inhabitants), 1919, 1921, 1922, 1923, 1924, 1926, 1928, and 1932 (with more than 150,000 inhabitants).

- On July 5, 1951, the National Senate finally approved one of the many bills presented to provincialize La Pampa and El Chaco. (The rest of the National Territories were also intended to be provincialized.)

- On July 21, 1951, the provincialization law was passed. There was a desire to include articles designating El Chaco as Colonel Perón and La Pampa as Eva Perón. The addition was objected to because it would delay the law's passage and because the Constitutional Convention members would be responsible for adopting these names at the appropriate time.

- On August 8, 1951, Law No. 14,037, provincializing La Pampa and El Chaco, was enacted.

- On November 11, 1951, Juan Perón was reelected president and Eva Perón became First Lady. Taking advantage of the election, La Pampa and El Chaco held votes for president and vice president, as well as for the 15 Constitutional Convention members. It should be noted that the National Territories were not represented in the National Senate, but they did have one or two delegates in the Chamber of Deputies, who were also elected that day.

- On December 28, 1951, it was decided to name El Chaco after President Perón.

- On January 24, 1952, the Constituent Convention members met for the first time in La Pampa, and it was decided to name the province after Eva Perón. This was requested by the unions, in recognition of Eva Perón's support in promoting provincialization.

- On July 26, 1952, Eva Perón died.

- On September 16, 1955, Juan Perón was overthrown by the Liberating Revolution, restoring La Pampa and El Chaco to their original names.

- to see this history reflected in the evolution of its plates.

FORMOSA, NEUQUÉN, RíO NEGRO, CHUBUT and SANTA CRUZ: National Law No. 14,408 of these National Territories was enacted on June 28, 1955.

TIERRA DEL FUEGO: In 1943, the National Government decided to create the Maritime Governorate of Tierra del Fuego. Then, in 1955, the so-called Patagonia Province was created, which was never legally constituted (although patents were issued!). Two years later, the National Territory of Tierra del Fuego, Antarctica, and the South Atlantic Islands was established. In 1986, the National Chamber of Deputies approved its provincialization, but the bill became law in 1990. The following year, the Constituent Convention met in Ushuaia, which drafted the provincial Magna Carta. The text was sworn on July 1, 1991, and the first elections for provincial authorities were held in December of that year.

Military Zone of Comodoro Rivadavia:

The enormous strategic value of Argentina's oil fields forced the national government to adopt more secure and efficient defense measures during the Second World War. For this purpose, the Patagonia Group was created on February 28, 1942, with its command based in the city of Comodoro Rivadavia. At the same time, the military structure was strengthened with the creation of new units.

The first commander of the Patagonia Group, Colonel Ángel Solari, conducted an in-depth study of the southern oil region, from a geoeconomic, geopolitical, social, and national security perspective. This led to the creation of the Comodoro Rivadavia Military Zone (Zona Militar de Comodoro Rivadavia), through a decree-law issued on May 31, 1944, by the government that emerged from the June 4, 1943, revolution.

Military Government of Comodoro Rivadavia:

A year later, it was transformed into the Military Governorate of Comodoro Rivadavia (Gobernación Militar de Comodoro Rivadavia), with the following boundaries: to the north, the 45th parallel; to the south, the Deseado River; and from the east coast to the border with Chile. The Military Governorate, which functioned more as a branch of the Army than of the political power, sought to defend the most important source of oil in the Argentine Republic.

Patagonia Province:

This name was adopted jointly by the National Territories of Santa Cruz and Tierra del Fuego under President Frondizi, in an attempt to promote this region of the country.

Although platess bearing the name Patagonia Province (Provincia Patagonia) were drawn up and circulated during 1956, this unification was never legally established. At least the few surviving plates attest to the fact that this unification was close to being achieved.