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NORTH
REGION
It is formed by the entire
Department of Lavalle, and by the non-urban areas of the
mountains and foothills of the Departments of Las Heras and
Luján de Cuyo.
The Department of Lavalle is located in the north of the Mendoza
city. It is a desert in its geographic aspect; its vegetation
consists of shrub steppe, and the rainfall does not exceed 100
millimetres per year. Dunes of up to 60 metres high break the
mostly flat landscape.
A few hundred years ago, the appearance of the North Zone was
quite different. The waters from the ice and snow melting of the
Andes would end up in Guanacache Lagoons, where in their shores,
the former inhabitants, the Huarpes, used to develop their
culture, which is still alive. Today Guanacache remains, however
its former water resource, the Mendoza River, no longer has the
flow of yesteryear, as it has been diverted repeatedly towards
the cultivation of the oases in the Great Mendoza.
Apart from these lakes, there used to be large areas of sweet
carob forests, noble trees, whose fruit and hard wood were
widely used. Nowadays, it is the only natural forest in the
province, called Telteca Forest.
The activities of the locals are focused on sheep ranching and
on the production of wefts. They also have a great religious
sentiment, which is reflected in their deepest devotion to their
patron saint, the Virgin of the Rosary.
At about 130 km of Mendoza City, there is the District Lagunas
del Rosario, a place that is highlighted due to the unique role
of the Historical Chapel, which began to take shape from the
actions of the first Jesuit religious missions, which settled in
the northeast of the Mendoza Province. It covers an area of
approximately 230,679 hectares and its inhabitants live in
"ranches" (formed by houses and stockyards). The ranches that
are scattered throughout Laguna del Rosario territory are about
184 and it is estimated that the population total reaches 920.
In October, the ponds in the desert are the stage to the
traditional religious celebration in honour of Our Lady of the
Rosary, and the Chapel of the Rosary and its surroundings
revived the centennial festival that usually gathers thousands
of worshippers, a cultural activity that has been kept alive
through many generations.
There traditional customs that are reflected in the exhibitions
of arts and crafts, in the guided tours and in the times when
the music and dance arise spontaneously are revived.
The other portion of the North Zone consists of the high
mountains which are shared by the departments of Luján de Cuyo
and Las Heras, due to its structure it is possible to be
administered this way. Along the Mendoza River, there is a fluid
network of roads, including the International route to Chile,
which provides good service and infrastructure, and at the same
time places of particular beauty. There can be included the
Aconcagua Mountain, named by the indigenous people as "the Stone
Sentinel" (with 6962 metres high it is the highest mountain in
the West). Puente del Inca, with its ochre colour stained waters;
Uspallata, with a microclimate that is reflected in its fertile
soil, and which holds elements of the Inca culture such as
petroglyphs, ruins of typical farmhouses made stones embedded
with amazing precision is another attraction. In addition, there
is Potrerillos, with its beautiful mountain villas and the dam,
which invite everyone to enjoy them all year long, and Cacheuta
to enjoy its hot springs.
Depending on your preference, you may choose…
In the summer, the sunshine days make people want the freshness
of the streams and the woodlots. In the autumn, everything turns
ochre and yellow. In the winter, the mountain is covered with
snow, inviting you to enjoy it. In the spring, nature reminds
the rebirth of life with the green vegetation.
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