Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
quake shook the city, devastating it. Of
Mendoza's 12,000 residents, 4,000 perished.
The rest of Argentina was joined by Brazil,
Chile, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, England and
France in an international effort to aid the city.
To prevent the recurrence of a similar tragedy,
the city was rebuilt as we know it today, with
broad avenues, low buildings and plenty of
parks and plazas that can serve as refuges in
the event of future earthquakes. Another earth-
quake struck the city in 1985. There was struc-
tural damage, but no fatalities were reported.
Geography/Topography
The city of Mendoza is capital of the province of
the same name, which joins the provinces of
San Juan and San Luis in the central region of
the Argentine Andes to form the Cuyo.
Did You Know?
Cuyo, which means “land of stone” in
the language of the Huarpe Indians
and “land of sand” in Mapuche, is the
driest region of Argentina.
First discovered in 1551 by Francisco de
Villagra, who came to the region from Peru, the
area was actually settled by colonists from the
Central Valley of Chile in the late 16th century.
The Cuyo was one of the first areas of the River
Plate region to be settled.
With the Andes marking its western border
with Chile, the province of Mendoza is bordered
