San martin de los andes
San Martín de los Andes is a city, in the southwest of the province of Neuquén, nestled in the Andes Mountains, Argentina, on the east coast of Lake Lácar, and is the town most important tourist destination in the province of Neuquén.
In 1898, General Rudecindo Roca decided to reoccupy Fort Maipú and found a town on the shores of Lake Lácar, in order to establish sovereignty over the region. Thus, on February 4, 1898, Colonel Celestino Pérez, following his orders, founded San Martín de los Andes, the last Patagonian city framed in the campaign to the desert.
It is one of the most important tourist spots in Argentina and the Patagonian region. It is accessed by National Route 40 and has an airport 21.6 km from the center.
San Martín de los Andes is the head of the Lácar department, it is located at 640 ms. no. m. and about 310 km from the city of Neuquén.
Toponymy
In Mapudungun it is called “Pucallhué”[citation required], which means “Place of the Seagulls”.[citation required]
Gentilic
Much has been discussed about the correct denomination to refer to the person from this locality, since the words sanmartinense and sanmartiniano. Mostly the name San Martinense is used. To a lesser extent the designation sanmartiniano is used, which in the regional popular consensus refers to someone from San Martín... (San Martín de los Andes). This is not really correct, since the word sanmartiniano is not a demonym but an adjective, whose meaning according to the Dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy is belonging or relative to the personality or to the work of the Argentine general José de San Martín. So the correct demonym would be sanmartinense.
History
Twenty years after the so-called Conquest of the Desert, and in compliance with military instructions issued by the Division of the Andes, then commanded by General Rudecindo Roca —brother of Julio Argentino—, on February 4, 1898 it was decided to found a town 40 km southwest of Fuerte Junín, at the eastern head of Lake Lácar.
This region was part of the territory inhabited by the Curruhuinca Mapuche tribe, which belonged to the parliament of cacique Valentín Sayhueque, but whom it did not support when he was expelled by the troops of Conrado Villegas. The area, disputed with Chile depending on whether the watershed —the Lácar flows into the Pacific— or the line of high peaks is considered, was definitively integrated into Argentina in 1902, after the arbitral award pronounced by Eduardo VII, who in this area favored the thesis of Perito Moreno, in this case by high peaks.
Officially, its founder was Colonel Rohde. However, recent investigations —based on documents found by former mayor Sergio Schroh— show that the town was founded by Lieutenant Colonel Celestino Pérez; Apparently, that day his superiors were in the area of the Lahuen Co.
The first 30 years of San Martín de los Andes were lived to the rhythm of the Army: it had a military administration until 1907, which explains the military names of its streets. His economy depended mainly on extractive logging from the Lácar basin and on livestock.
In 1937 the Lanín National Park was founded, which began to limit forestry activity in the 1960s; Simultaneously there was a huge increase in tourism. With the construction of the Chapelco winter center and the "Sol de los Andes" hotel, in the 1970s, tourism became its main resource.
For 2020, the Lemon Cash digital wallet originates from this town.
Geography
San Martin de los Andes is located on the shore of Lake Lácar.
Lanín National Park
It covers more than 400,000 hectares. Where Cerro Chapelco is present, it means chapel water.
Climate
The strong geographical differences between the Patagonian steppe and the Andes mountain range are the cause of these strong climatic differences from east to west that determine the forest to the west and the steppe to the east. While the climate of the Andes is humid cold, moderated by the influence of the Pacific Ocean, that of the Patagonian steppe is dry cold, with temperatures down to -15 °C in winter. In summer it ranges from 9 to 34 °C (average values) and in winter from 1 to 8 °C, with temperatures below 0 °C.
Summer: the days are warm, very sunny and with cool nights. The temperature oscillates during the day between 9 and 34 °C, allowing you to fully enjoy outdoor activities, including those on the beach in the lake mirrors. Few prevailing winds from the southwest and few rainy days. Due to its latitude, daylight lasts in summer until around 10:00 p.m.
Autumn: days are cool-temperate with cold nights; the temperature during the day oscillates between 4 and 13 °C. In this season the greatest amount of rains occurs, of little intensity generally during the nights and in certain conditions in the form of snow.
Winter: cold days with snowfall in the mountains and in the city. Daytime temperatures range from 1 to 10°C.
Spring: the cool days and cold nights continue, the days begin to lengthen and temperatures gradually rise to reach records of between 7 and 20 °C during the day towards the end of the season.
Rain
In San Martín de los Andes, the rainy season ranges from March to December, with a dry season in summer.
Precipitation is around 1500 mm per year. The gradient goes from the west with 4000 mm per year, towards the east, with about 600 mm in the steppe. This is due to the fact that the rains are discharged in the mountain range. Precipitation is like rain in the fall and spring, and can be like snow in the winter, depending on the elevation.
Population
It has 30,200 inhabitants (Indec, 2015), which represents an increase of 24.6% compared to the 23,519 inhabitants (Indec, 2001) of the previous census. The population consists of 14,132 males and 14,467 females. Meanwhile, the homes went from being 6,282 to 10,812.
| Graphic of demographic evolution of San Martín de los Andes between 1991 and 2010 |
 |
Source of National Censuses of INDEC |
Infrastructure
Transportation
The three main streets of San Martin are General Villegas, San Martín and General Roca.
Urban and interurban transportation is operated by private operators, which provide various services in the urban agglomeration of San Martín de los Andes and its area of influence. These companies are the "Transporte Castelli" (Interurban with Junín) and the "Expreso Los Andes" urban company, which provides service within the city.
Architecture
The city has a particular architecture, since different municipal ordinances regulate the height and facades of the buildings.
There are three periods: of the first settlers, of National Parks and the recent one.
Of the first settlers, constructions with tin roofs and wooden walls stand out, as well as brick constructions.
With the creation of the national park, the architect Alejandro Bustillo used and recommended that the facades of the buildings be covered with stones that were available from blasting as a result of the explosions carried out for the construction of roads. In addition, the roofs were gabled and the walls had a wooden covering.
In the 1970s, a hotel (Hotel del Sol) was built in the area of the Arrayanes viewpoint, which did not respect the trend as it had flat roofs, inadequate for an area with frequent snowfall. It did not have a wooden front either and the construction was visible from almost the entire city.
This generated a population awareness about what could happen in the future with the constructions in the city, and generated a whole series of norms and ordinances that specified the height and facades to be built.
At that time, in the late 1970s, the maximum height allowed for construction was 18 meters. At the beginning of 2003 that height was reduced to 12.5 meters.
The city's building code seeks, through its regulations, to maintain the characteristic architectural style of the region (use of wood and/or stone on the facades, sloping roofs) while other municipal regulations limit the uses of the ground and the occupable area thereof. The ultimate goal of these urban conditions is to keep the architecture of the city in harmony with the natural environment that surrounds it, while protecting its limited scale for a better quality of life for the inhabitants.
Economy
San Martín is the most important tourist center in the province of Neuquén. With the development of Cerro Chapelco in the 1970s there was an explosive expansion of the population together with the building development that today leads it to have all kinds of tourist services (including an airport). Its trade is assorted with offer in specialized garments, fishing, wood crafts and chocolate. It has an excellent gastronomic offer and a varied and complete hotel offer, totaling more than 3,000 beds.
Education
Regarding university education, the city has the presence of the National University of Comahue. On the other hand, there are also the Siglo XXI Business University, the Catholic University of Salta and the Blas Pascal University with their distance courses.
Sports
Basketball
San Martin has the Zorros team.
Tourist attractions
- In the summer, adventure sports are very popular, you can practice canoeing, climbing, hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding, rafting, canoeing, paragliding, Tyrolean and rappel among others.
- It is the headquarters of the Lanín National Park.
- Mountain sports and lacust rides to the beaches of Quila Quina or Santa Teresita Island.
- Fly fishing.
- Colored and wild deer hunt.
- In winter you can do ski and snowboard, among others.
- The different types of roses that can be seen in public spaces, also the colors of the urban tree.
- There are different viewers, among the most visited is the Bandurria, located within an area that belongs to the Mapuche community, overlooking Lake Lacar. The viewpoint is also located Arrayanes.
Garnish
| Unit of Cu Ej San Martín de los Andes | Abbreviation |
|---|---|
| Mountain Exploration Cavalry Regiment 4 «Coraceros General Lavalle» | RC Expl M 4 |
Twinnings
San Martín de los Andes has three twinning agreements.
Rocca di Cambio, Italy
Steamboat Springs, Colorado, United States
Pucón, Araucanía, Chile
Parishes of the Catholic Church in San Martín de los Andes
Saint Joseph, the patron saint of the city and of carpenters and loggers.
| Diocese | Neuquén |
|---|---|
| Parishs | San José, Our Lady of Vega |