Rest of Argentina | Ahicito Nomás

San Martin Park is a huge green space in the west of Mendoza, and it’s one of the must-see when you visit the city. You can go with an excursion, by public transport or even walking.

Portones parque — The iron gates at the entrance.

You will easily notice the entrance of the park due to the gigantic iron gates. They are there since year 1907, when they were transported from Glasgow, Scotland. Once in Mendoza, the shields of the province and the condor were added to this work of art.

Inside the park you will see Marly’s Horses, a replica of the work of art that was requested by Louis XV to decorate the gardens of the Palais of Marly and now is on display at the Louvre in Paris. The replica was made in Carrara marble commissioned by the provincial government in 1911.

Another iconic monument in the park is the Fountain of the Continents, which was brought from France and in which 4 children (2 boys and 2 girls) hold the third pool standing on a square base. Each side of the base is inscribed with the name of a continent: America, Asia, Europe and Africa. This is something that draws our attention today because we all know that the continents are 5, not 4. But in 1910 when the fountain was built, Oceania was not considered a continent.

Fuente primer plano — In the Fountain the contintents are only four.

In addition to the monuments, in the park there are other things to see, such as the city’s zoo, an equestrian club, the lake located behind the Fountain of the Continents, the Malvinas Argentinas football stadium where World Cup matches were played in 1978, and of course the Frank Romero Day Greek Theater, scene of the Fiesta de la Vendimia, the most important celebration in Mendoza.

Anfiteatro — The Fiesta de la Vendimia takes place each year in the Greek Theater.

But the most important symbol of the park is once again an art of work. Located since 1912 on the Cerro de la Gloria (formerly, Cerro del Pilar), the Monument to the Andes Army is a truly colossal art of work. It is accessed by climbing a staircase that leads to the top of the hill.

Ingreso al Monumento II — The staircase to access to the Cerro de la Gloria.

Commemorative plaques decorate the route while one ascends. Some are awesome.

Placas Cerro de la Gloria — There are plaques on the walls that are truly works of art.

Finally, when you finish climbing the stairs, you can see the esplanade and the imposing monument in the distance, the work of the Uruguayan sculptor Juan Manuel Ferrari.

Monumento — The Monument to the Andes Army.

On the front of the monument you can see the statue of General San Martin, known in Argentina as «The father of the country» for having led the war of independence in Argentina, Chile and Peru. You can alse see there the coat of arms of the Argentina Republic. San Martin is flanked by his Granaderos (name with which he baptized his army), and above all of them the Winged Liberty stands out with the broken chains in his hand.

Monumento desde abajo — San Martin and his army crossed the Andes to liberate Chile, and then Peru.

On the east side of the monument you can see the shield of Peru. The preparation of the Andes Army for the battle is represented there. The shield of Chile is on the west side, and you can see the departure of the troops there, in January 1816. On the south side the sacrifice of the ladies of Mendoza is immortalized. They gave their jewels in collaboration with the financing of the military campaing.

Monumento de costado — The Andes Army leaves Mendoza to cross the mountains and fight in Chile.

The Cerro de la Gloria and it’s monument remembering the greatest historical deed of the country are a symbol of the Mendoza City that you should visit. No doubt about that!

This excursion through the puna to Antofasta de la Sierra (including a stop in the impressive Campo de Piedra Pómez) was, without a doubt, one of the highlights of my last vacations.

The first day of the excursion started early in the morning with a good breakfast in Posada Las Cardas, the excellent hotel where we spent the night in Belen. Sergio was our driver and our guide, and we brought mate, cookies, hat, sunglasses and, of course, our cameras with full batteries. We were ready for a 10 hours trip.

Blue sky and green vegetation at the beginning.

We left the town driving along the famous Route 40 to the North and made a stop in the Belen’s Ravine to take a few photos on the Belen River flowing between the mountains. After a few minutes we took the Provincial Route 36, and later, at Puerta del Corral Quemado, we took the Route 43. At this point, some huge and particular rocks along the street caught our attention. It was a geological formation called «Old Port» as the rocks looked like ships. Using your imagination you can «see» there a lot of moored vessels.

The geological formation called «Old Port».

After a brief stop at a city shop in Villa Vil we continued the journey. Sometimes the road was paved and sometimes it wasn’t, but as we advanced the landscapes were more and more incredible.

The non-paved road usually is traveled by mining trucks.

I have to say, Sergio was an excellent guide. While he was driving he explained to us all the details about what we were seeing. He made us notice how the landspace is constantly changing, and how sometimes we could see a mountain full of vegetation, which then, a few kilometers later and from a different angle, showed a completely bare rock wall. There you can see the marks of the water erosion.

But the biggest change happens when you can see something yellow on the ground. After a few curves there are no more doubts: It’s sand. We are close to the Randolfo’s Slope and there are hugh sand dunes that cover most of the mountain. Due to the action of the wind these dunes are constantly changing position.

From this point, everything changes. There is less vegetation: no more trees, but just a few bushes. The weather becomes arid, in this area of the country it hardly rains. You can see how the mountains get farther and farther, until you finally see them on the horizon. Wellcome to the Atacama’s Puna, an amazing and beatiful place where there’s almost no vegetation and the ground is made of stone.

Some landscapes from the Catamarca’s pune.

There isn’t much life here, really. But sometimes you can see groups of vicunas which usually are near wetlands, as they need some water to live. While driving you have to be very carefull with the vicunas. They can suddenly cross the road and cause an accident.

Be carefull with the vicunas! They may cause and accident…

In the distance, everywhere, you can see now volcanoes. You can identify them by their dark colors. Around them you can see also little hills: they are secondary volcano’s mouths, which are sometimes more dangerous than the main one. Anyway, Sergio reassures us: The last eruption took place here 12 million years ago so, don’t worry. We can relax and enjoy.

We had lunch in El Peñon, a small town in the middle of the puna. There we enjoyed some regional food before continuing the journey. A few meters away some unbelievable colors made us stop. This is the view you can enjoy from there.

Now we could see lots of volcanic rocks, everywhere. Closer and closer. Two classes can be distinguished: solid stones on the left of the road, and much more porous on the right. Both of them, black stones. Some of them forming true black stone walls.

Once we leave behind those black rocks behind, it’s like magic. The landscape changes completely, again. Now we can see a colourful puna, with greens and yellows around the beatiful Antofagasta Lagoon.

Black volcanic rocks on both sides of the road.

It was late afternoon when we finally arrived to Antofagasta de la Sierra, a quiet and small town in the puna where we would spend the night. It was a very long day. We were tired, but happy. It was really worth it.

The Catamarca’s puna is not famous. Not even in Argentina. But it’s amazing, one of the most beatiful places in the country, I can say now. I really recommend it. And if you want to do this excursion, one of the alternatives is the Chaku Aventuras agency. You can contact them and check the available options. Just choose the one you like the most.

Ahicito Nomás

Viajes, lugares, historias, aviación, fotografía. Todo en un mismo lugar!

Archivo de la etiqueta: Rest of Argentina

Cerro de la Gloria, in San Martin Park of Mendoza City.

Through Catamarca’s puna to Antofagasta de la Sierra.