A square that sails

Every now and then, our search for cronovies brings us an unexpected surprise which, although it does not quite fit the criteria of the collection, deserves a small place on the blog.

From Tigre, Argentina, Nico, one of Cronovies’ major contributors and the source of a large part of the Argentine cronovies in our collection, has sent us this photograph of a vessel bearing a very familiar name: Plaza de Mayo.

It is not a cronovia. At Cronovies we collect streets and other public thoroughfares named after dates and, by extension, some other names related to the calendar, such as days of the week, months and seasons of the year. But, for the time being, ships remain outside the collection.

Plaza de Mayo is a name with great significance in Argentina. The square in Buenos Aires takes its name from the May Revolution of 1810, which began on 25 May and led to the formation of the first autonomous government, opening the process that would eventually lead to Argentine independence. This is why the name Plaza de Mayo —as well as 25 de Mayo— can often be found on streets, squares and other places throughout the country. And, as we can see, even on ships.

Still, the curiosity is hard to resist: we are used to squares staying firmly in one place and having to travel to a particular town or city to find them. This one, however, moves.

A Plaza de Mayo sailing through Argentine waters.

We will not be adding it to the Cronovies catalogue, but it certainly deserves this little exception on the blog. After so many years searching the streets of the world for unusual names, it is not every day that someone sends us a square that sails.