As a boy, a Croat fell asleep on a ship and then went on to write the history of Argentina

At just seven years old, he fell asleep on a ship that set sail for Asia, and life later took him to Argentina, where he left an indelible mark. Matija Nikolorić, one of the first Croats in Rosario, built the first two-story house in the city and became an important figure in its history.

Nearly two centuries later, his compatriots and their descendants still preserve their Croatian roots. In the new episode of the series "Our People, Their Places," we uncover incredible stories from Rosario, Argentina—a city where Croatia has lived for generations.

The boy from the Adriatic who wrote the history of an Argentine city

Rosario, located on the banks of the great Paraná River, is today one of Argentina's important economic centers. However, at the beginning of the 19th century, it was just a small river port known as Pago de los Arroyos.

It was precisely there that Matija Nikolorić (Matías Nicolorich) arrived, a sailor of Croatian descent whose life story sounds like a movie script.

"Historians say that at seven years old, he ran away from school, fell asleep on a ship, and only woke up when the ship was already sailing toward Asia," reveals Camila Docampo, who researched his life.

After years spent at sea, he arrived in Argentina. In Rosario, he fell in love, sold his ship, and decided to stay.

He became the highest-ranking local official, and his contribution to the city's development is still remembered today.

He built the first two-story house, and the neighbors mocked him!

One of the most interesting stories about Nikolorić is connected to the house he built, modeled after his mother's home in Croatia.

According to historical records, it was the first two-story house in Rosario!

"The neighbors mocked him because they didn't understand why he was building upward when there was so much vacant land available," Camila explains.

The Estévez Museum still preserves a wall believed to have been built by Nikolorić in 1830.

His life story is further illuminated by the memoirs of his granddaughter, Alvira Aldao, which mention the family's Croatian roots and unusual events from their past.

Arrived in Argentina as an orphan, and found a new family among Croats

Over the decades, Rosario became home to numerous Croatian emigrants. Today, around 40,000 of their descendants live in the wider region.

Among them is Sol Ivancich (Ivančić), whose family has been involved in the grain trade for generations.

Her ancestor, Hermenegildo Ivančić, arrived in Argentina as a fourteen-year-old orphan. When he learned that a large Croatian community lived in Rosario, he decided to look for his compatriots there.

Together with fellow Croats Jakaš and Kokić, he founded a company that became a part of the family history.

"I have always felt like a part of the Croatian community, as a Croat. Even though generations arrived here long before me, I feel it as a part of my identity," says Sol.

The Croatian language is learned thousands of miles from the homeland

Just how important Croatian roots are in Rosario is shown by the interest in the Croatian language.

At the National University of Rosario, Croatian has been taught since 2009, and lecturer Anamarija Sučec reveals that between 70 and 100 students learn it annually.

Among them are descendants of Croatian emigrants, but also Argentines who want to get to know Croatia out of friendship, love, or simple curiosity.

"Many descendants of Croats do not even know themselves how much their ancestors contributed to the development of Argentina," Anamarija points out.

"I want to visit Hvar and see the place of my ancestors"

Although she grew up in Argentina, Sol Ivancich has never forgotten where her family comes from.

One wish is particularly important to her—to visit Croatia.

"I have wanted to visit Hvar for a long time and see the place where my family originates from. Everyone in my family has already been there, except me," Sol admits.

This desire perhaps best describes the feelings of numerous descendants of Croatian emigrants who carry the homeland of their ancestors in their hearts, even though they have never seen it.

A Croatian trace that time has not erased

In the El Salvador cemetery in Rosario lies the Nikolorić family mausoleum, which preserves the memory of the first generations of Croatian settlers.

Among them is Pedro Nikolorić, a poet and military captain who died young in the Argentine War of the Triple Alliance.

Today, there are efforts to protect and restore the family mausoleum as a valuable historical and cultural heritage site.

From a boy who accidentally sailed out into the world to new generations dreaming of visiting Croatia, Rosario preserves stories that connect two continents.

Because Croatian history was not written only on Croatian soil. Its traces live on thousands of miles away, in the cities that our emigrants helped build.