Why was the first Spanish settlement at Buenos Aires abandoned?

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Panoramic aerial view of Buenos Aires, Argentina, featuring the Obelisk monument, wide avenues lined with trees, and dense city buildings under a blue sky. — Buenos Aires Aerial view of the city center, including the obelisk (center), Buenos Aires.

The first Spanish settlement at Buenos Aires, founded by Pedro de Mendoza in 1536, was abandoned primarily due to a combination of severe food shortages and persistent, violent attacks by local Indigenous peoples, specifically the Querandí.

While the settlers initially received help from the local population, relations quickly deteriorated into conflict. These hostile conditions, compounded by the lack of adequate supplies, made the site untenable. Following the death of Mendoza in 1537, the remaining inhabitants struggled to hold the position for several years before ultimately retreating upriver to the fortified settlement of Asunción in 1541. The city remained abandoned until it was refounded by Juan de Garay in 1580.123