Mendoza

Mendoza, located in the western central part of Argentina, is one of it´s 23 provinces, and is part of the "Cuyo" region. Neighboring provinces are from the north clockwise San Juan, San Luis, La Pampa, Río Negro and Neuquén. To the west there are the "Andes" mountains and Chile. There are evidences of inhabitants in the area since 2,000 years BC. On the basin of the River "Atuel", 300 years B, lived a group of people who lived of hunting, and cultivation of "maís" (maize), pumpkins and beans.

	Mendoza Mendoza, located in the western central part of Argentina, is one of it´s 23 provinces, and is part of the "Cuyo" region. Neighboring provinces are from the north clockwise San Juan, San Luis, La Pampa, Río Negro and Neuquén. To the west there are the "Andes" mountains and Chile. There are evidences of inhabitants in the area since 2,000 years BC. On the basin of the River "Atuel", 300 years B, lived a group of people who lived of hunting, and cultivation of "maís" (maize), pumpkins and beans. The "Huarpes" and the "Puelches" were some of the tribes who were present at the arrival of the Spaniards. The first Spanish conquerors came around 1550 from the Viceroyalty of Perú. In 1561, the military man Pedro del Castillo, founded the city of Mendoza, which has the same name of the province. With the creation of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata, its 30,000 inhabitants became part of the intendency of "Cuyo de Córdoba del Tucumán", but in 1813 the intendency of Cuyo was separated from the other provinces. Don José de San Martín was governor of the region, and received important support from the Mendoza province when he took off, with his "Ejército de los Andes" (Army of the Andes), from Plumerillo in 1817. They crossed the Andes in a campaign to release Chile from the "Spanish oppression". In 1885 the railways reached the Province, allowing a fluent transport of it´s wines towards the port of Buenos Aires. In 1861 there was an earthquake which nearly destroyed the city of Mendoza, so it had to be almost entirely reconstructed. In 1939 was founded the "Universidad Nacional de Cuyo" (National University of Cuyo), one of the most important of the interior of the country. The climate is continental, sunny and dry in the entire territory of the province, with warm summers and relatively cold winters. The arid soil due to the scant precipitation and the great temperature difference between day and night allows mainly few trees to grow. The annual precipitation lies between 150 and 350 mm, and hail is not uncommon, being an important problem for the regional viticulture. There are fertile lands surrounding the basins of the many rivers, born in glaciers of the "Cordillera". Different wind fronts affect the landscape, mainly the "Zonda" wind, but also the mild "Pampero", the warm "Viento Norte" and in winter the very rare "Sudestada" (wind from the southeast). This latter one affects mostly the pampas and Buenos Aires.
Mendoza wine barrels Photo by: Inés Casanovas
Bottling of Wine Photo by: Jörgen Lindh	"Puente del Inca" - Mendoza province Photo by: Inés Casanovas	"Cordillera de los Andes" Photo by: Jörgen Lindh

Mendoza	Visit Tango Buenos Aires