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The Harvest Festival begins in the second half of January, with various acts in each of
the departments that form the province, which elect a representative among the women from Mendoza, and
all of them, in the Central Act, will compete for the National Queen Crown.
In these departmental celebrations, is where the cultural and artistic activities delight the rural
workers with folk music and dances, typical food, sports and shows of Creole skills.
The venerated image of the Virgin of Carrodilla, patroness of the vineyards, presides over the
religious ceremony of the blessing of the fruit, officiated by the Archbishop of Mendoza, at the
last Sunday of February. In this occasion, the governor of the province gives the traditional Beat
in the grid of the plough, which represents the former ploughmen call to rest.
The festival is a multidisciplinary show where poets, writers, musicians, artists, actors and
choreographers are involved. It is done with around 600 people on the stage, accompanied by more
than 250 kilometres of cables, 50 types of pyrotechnic effects to dazzle with tons of fireworks,
music, laser beam, and about 400 light boxes.
Then after the show, takes place the election and the coronation of the National Queen. This is when
the public participation reaches its maximum emotion. The show is repeated the following night,
accompanied by the performance of major national artists.
The Great Festival continues until the beginning of April with folk festivals, performances and
sports competitions.
Here we should emphasise the Greek theatre called Frank Romero Day, which lies in the west of the
city at the foothills of Cerro de La Gloria. It was designed by the architect Ashley Ramos Correa.
It is a gem between the hills and has the capacity for 22,000 seated spectators; the latter are
joined by a similar amount which are located in the surrounding hills. Several stages are displayed
at different levels; the biggest has 130 metres in the front and offers an angle of 180 degrees of
visibility.
SUMMER
Mendoza offers its sky, its land and water, both for those who need a repairer
break, or for anyone who accepts the challenge of nature, willing to be at risk and enjoy some
adventure.
The adventure tourism employs a significant infrastructure and finds in the five major rivers of th
province, which descended from the Andes, the ideal place to practice rafting, kayaking, hydrospeed,
among others. It is also possible to renew the emotions in the seven reservoirs that are located in
San Rafael, in the one between Lujan de Cuyo and Rivadavia, or in the water reservoir Potrerillos,
practicing canoeing, windsurfing, water skiing, snorkelling, sailing, jet skiing, or sport fishing.
Another way to know this blessed land, is exploring the caves that are in the south, in Malargüe.
The attractive Caverna del Tigre or the enigmatic Caverna de las Brujas, which has not been explore
in its totality because of its great extension.
The best way to know the mountain is doing trekking, mountain biking, horseback riding or where
permitted off-road vehicle trips.
The climbing and mountaineering can be enjoyed at all levels. From small hills, until the most
dangerous ascent of Mount Aconcagua, which the Incas in the Quechua language called the Stone
Sentinel, which with its 6962 metres of height is the highest in the West. Reaching the top is the
goal of climbers from around the world.
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