Tucumán commemorates 60 years since sugar mill closures

On Saturday, August 22, the province of Tucumán will hold the ‘Marcha de las Antorchas’ (March of the Torches) to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the closure of the region's sugar mills. The event aims to provide historical reparation and recognition for the workers and communities that suffered the social, economic, and cultural consequences of those decisions.

The march will begin at 18:30 in Banda del Río Salí, with delegations arriving from eleven localities, including San Miguel de Tucumán, Lules, and Famaillá. Organizers intend to connect new generations with those who lived through the era to preserve the collective memory of the industry that once defined the region.

The closures occurred in 1966 following a decree by the military dictatorship of General Juan Carlos Onganía. The intervention of the eleven sugar mills resulted in the loss of livelihoods for over 50,000 people and triggered a massive exodus, forcing more than 250,000 residents to leave Tucumán in search of work elsewhere.