ARGENTINA REGION BY REGION - Argentina - page 163

0 Mercedes
Road map C2. 167 miles (270 km) SE
of Corrientes. * 35,000. @ n
Sarmiento 650, [phone].
_ Fiesta del Chamamé (Nov).
∑ mercedescorrientes.gov.ar

better known to Argentinians
as the birthplace of revered
Independence hero General
José de San Martín (see p53) .
At the eastern edge of the main
Plaza San Martín is Templete
Sanmartiniano , which preserves
the ruins of the small fort where
the liberator spent his childhood.
To the south of the plaza is
Museo de Cultura Jesuítica
Guillermo Furlong , which sits
atop the Jesuit mission's
red sandstone
foundations. It houses
Jesuit artifacts and
wooden panels detailing
the history of the
region. At the southern
end of town is Museo
Sanmartiniano ,
displaying weaponry
that belonged to the
San Martíns.

A gateway to the stunning
Esteros del Iberá ( see pp170-71 ),
Mercedes is a sleepy town with
lovely 19th-century streets
and distinctive adobe
build ings. The town's
single museum is housed
within the Casa de la
Cultura . Exhibits here
include bayoneted rifles
recovered from 19th-
century civil war battle-
grounds. Mercedes
has several shops,
such as Manos
Corrientes , that
sell exquisite gaucho ware. A
6-mile (9-km) drive west of
town is a roadside shrine to
local saint-hero Gauchito Gil.

Towering yatay palm protected at Parque
Nacional El Palmar

Wooden horse display,
Museo Jesuítica

8 Parque Nacional
El Palmar
Road map C2. 31 miles (50 km) N
of Colón. n Ruta Nacional 14,
Ubajay [phone].
Open daily. & 0 - =
∑ elpalmarapn.com.ar
Covering an area of 33 sq miles
(85 sq km), Parque Nacional El
Palmar was created in 1965 to
conserve the yatay palm, which
once covered most of the Entre
Ríos and Corrientes provinces.
These tall, slender trees were in
danger of extinction from mass
clearing for farming and forestry
in the early 20th century. The
park also protects large swathes
of marshland and gallery forest.
The park is home to myriad
fauna, including reptiles such as
the tegu lizard and the ostrich-
like ñandú . The wetlands and
gallery forests are a refuge for
herons, kingfishers, and
woodpeckers, while otters and
capybaras inhabit the park's
riverbanks. Hiking trails criss-
cross the park, which is also
traversable by car.

E Museo de Cultura Jesuítica
Guillermo Furlong
Sargento Cabral & Romero. Open
8am-noon & 2-6pm Mon-Fri.
E Museo Sanmartiniano
Ave Libertador s/n. Open 8am-4pm
daily. &

E Casa de la Cultura
Parque Mitre. Open Dec-Mar: 4-8pm
daily; Apr-Nov: 8am-noon, 2-6pm
daily.

The Legend of Gauchito Gil
Popular saint Gauchito Gil was a deserter from a 19th-century
provincial war. On escaping to the mountains, he became a Robin
Hood-type figure who stole from rich landowners to give to the
poor. His legend was sealed on his capture, where at his hanging
he is said to have whispered to his executioner, “When you go home
you will find your son dying. Pray for my intercession, for the blood
of an innocent can perform miracles.” The hangman returned home
to find his son in agony. After the child's recovery, he erected a cross
hung with a red ribbon in honor of Gauchito. Today, this site is a
ribbon-festooned, candle-adorned shrine covered with messages
beseeching the intercession of Gauchito. Such is Argentina's
reverence for this popular saint, who is not recognized by the
Vatican, that each January on the anniversary of Gil's hanging, up
to 100,000 pilgrims visit the shrine.

9 Yapeyú
Road map D2. 245 miles (395 km) SE
of Corrientes. * 3,000. @ n
Sargento Cabrán & Gregoria Matorra
[phone]. ∑ todoyapeyu.
com.ar

Founded as a base in 1626 by
Jesuits seeking to convert the
indigenous Guaraní, Yapeyú is

Gaucho Antonio Gil's shrine where pilgrims tie red ribbons