General Mansilla, Buenos Aires

General Mansilla, also sometimes referred to as Bartolomé Bavio or simply Bavio,^[2][3] is a town located in the Magdalena Partido in the province of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Located 40 km (25 mi) from the city and provincial capital of La Plata,^[4] General Mansilla was founded in 1901, and named in honor of Lucio Norberto Mansilla, a general who fought in the Argentine War of Independence. The decree establishing the town was signed by the provincial governor of the time on August 14.^[5] A rail station had previously been built in 1887 following a land donation from a man named Bartolomé Bavio, who the developers later named the station after. The rail line which passed through the town was the first in the partido.^[5] A school was built in the region in 1899. Rail service lasted until the 1970s.^[3] The end of rail service led to a considerable decline in the town's status.^[4]

In 2004, a report found that nearly 30% of the town's population, or roughly 309 individuals, had been diagnosed with Enterobius vermicularis, a parasitic worm infection. 41% of all children in the town were affected with the disease.^[6] Outside of this, General Mansilla has also suffered from insect swarms, a notable one occurring in 2019 consisting mostly of flies. The insects likely originated from poor waste management from a nearby poultry farm.^[4]

Since the end of rail service, the economy of General Mansilla has primarily been based on agriculture.^[4] The town is also a center for the dairy industry.^[5] According to INDEC, which collects population data for the country, the town had a population of 1,684 people as of the 2001 census.^[1] In the 2010 census, the town's population had grown to 2,022, or around a 16.7% increase from the previous census.^[7] Actress Tita Merello lived in the town as a child when she was around the age of 10.^[8]