do you guys think people in south america consider MIAMI more important than NEW YORK

i visited buenos aires back in 2004 and i told people i was from miami and people just started asking me so many things of the city, also they said i was so lucky to live there all kinds of questions. they were so friendly with me and a lot people over there mention miami so much that i was just wondering if miami is more important for them than new york city is for us. i guess miami is the capital of latin america.>