ARGENTINA REGION BY REGION - Argentina - page 205

P Plaza Chile
Gutiérrez & 25 de Mayo. @
Shaded by a large aguaribay
tree, Plaza Chile is centered
around a monument dedicated
to the friendship between
Argentina and Chile. Created
by Chilean sculptor Lorenzo
Domínguez, it shows
Argentinian Independence
hero, José de San Martín, and
Chile's liberator, Bernardo
O'Higgins, together. The plaza
gained its name in recognition
of Chile's assistance after
the 1861 earthquake. Mendoza
welcomes Chileans to celebrate
their mid-September
Independence days here.

VISITORS' CHECKLIST

Practical Information
Road map B2. 1095 miles (1760
km) W of Buenos Aires.
* 110,000.
n San Martín 1143, (0261)
413-2101, [phone].
_ Fiesta Nacional de la
Vendimia (Mar).
∑ turismo.mendoza.gov.ar
Transport
k @

The Museo del Área Fundacional in Parque
Bernardo O'Higgins

an impressive set of historical
dioramas, and a collection of
historical photographs. In
addition to the museum, the park
also has an aquarium. Nearby are
the crumbling ruins of the
18th-century Templo de San
Francisco , nearly leveled in the
1861 earthquake that spurred the
city's relocation to the southwest.

theater, which is the main
venue for the fall wine festival,
and the Estadio Islas Malvinas ,
which hosted the 1978 World
Cup matches.

P Plaza San Martín
Ave España & Gutiérrez. @ 7
Bas í lica de San Francisco Ave España
and Necochea. Open 8am-12:30pm,
5-8:30pm daily.
Before crossing the Andes to
Chile, Independence hero José
de San Martín spent extended
periods in Mendoza. This plaza,
earlier known as Plaza Cobo,
commemorates that fact with
an equestrian statue, a replica
of one that stands in Buenos
Aires's namesake plaza. Across
the street, the Neo-Classical
Basílica de San Francisco
contains the image of Nuestra
Señora del Carmen de Cuyo,
the patron saint of San Martín's
Army of the Andes. There is also
a mausoleum with the remains
of his family. Despite the
devastating earthquakes of
1861 and 1927, the basilica still
stands immaculate.

Chacras de Coria
Besares. @ ( Sat & Sun.
Museo Provincial de Bellas Artes
Emiliano Guiñazú San Martín 3651,
Mayor Drummond, Luján de Cuyo.
Te l [phone]. Open 8:30am-
6pm Tue-Fri, 2-7pm Sat & Sun. &
Only 15 minutes away from
downtown Mendoza, the
leafy suburb of Chacras de
Coria was once the capital's
kitchen garden and orchard.
Many of its dirt roads still
survive, but over the years it
has morphed into a gourmet
ghetto of fancy restaurants
and wine bars. The central
Plaza Geronimo Espejo is the
site of an art and antiques
fair every Sunday. Chacras is
also home to the Museo
Provincial de Bellas Artes
Emiliano Guiñazú , a fine
arts museum in an erstwhile
summer residence surrounded
by gardens.

Y Parque San Martín
Ave Emilio Civit & Ave Boulogne
Sur Mer. @
In the 19th century, French
architect Charles Thays left a
legacy of magnificently
landscaped public parks and
private properties throughout
the country. None, however,
surpasses Mendoza's Parque San
Martín, crowned by Cerro de la
Gloria . Atop its summit,
Uruguayan sculptor Juan M.
Ferrari's Monumento al Ejercito
Libertador pays homage to San
Martín's Army of the Andes.
The iron-filigree gates at the
park's main entrance lead to a
diverse woodland, punctuated
by a rose garden, horse track,
zoo, and museums. Other
sights include a Greek-style Y Parque Bernardo

O'Higgins
Ituzaingó & Buenos Aires. @
7 Museo del Área Fundacional
Alberdi 571. Te l [phone].
Open 8am-8pm Tue-Sat, 3-8pm Sun.
& 8 7 - =
∑ ciudaddemendoza.gov.ar
At the eastern edge of down-
town Mendoza, Parque Bernardo
O'Higgins is a greenbelt that
stretches north for several blocks
to the city's original site, where
Museo del Área Fundacional
covers the excavated foundations
of the colonial cabildo (town hall).
The museum is also notable for
its indigenous Huarpe artifacts, View from Cerro de la Gloria in Parque San Martín

For hotels and restaurants see pp278-83 and pp288-99