History

Around the year 300 BC the region of Valley Atuel was inhabited by a group of farmers. They were also hunters and made baskets, ceramic pots and clothes with leather and fur. They practiced mummification using vegetal resins.

When the Spanish arrived in Mendoza they found two communities: the Huarpe people, located at the north of River Diamente and part of River Atuel; and the Puelche Algarrobero people, who came from the Chilean region of Maule, located at the south of these rivers.

From 1758 on the Araucano people started crossing the Andes towards Argentina seduced by the cattle and horses at the pampas and pushed by the war they were fighting against the Spanish at Chile. They mingled with the Native people from Mendoza, La Pampa, Buenos Aires and Patagonia. This caused the sociological phenomenon called araucanization. There are traces of the Puelche language but the above mentioned process made it disappear by the mid 18^th century. The new araucanized generations doubled the attacks on farms, cities and villages. That is why the 2^nd of April of 1805 the River Plate Viceroyalty, presided by Viceroy Rafael de Sobremonte, decided to create a fort called San Rafael del Diamante. The fort, by River Diamante (Diamond), now in ruins, was erected within the Villa 25 de Mayo district. At the beginning of the 20^th century two thirds of the fort were demolished by a flood of the River Diamante. The 10^th of December of 1942 its remains were declared National Historic Monument.

The visionaries that designed and constructed the first channels at River Diamante arrived in the region during the second half of the 19^th century. In 1870 Julio Balloffet, an engineer, improved the irrigation system and the plotting. In1883 Rodolfo Iselín organized a French colony that attracted French businessmen that invested in cattle, fruit trees and vineyards.

In 1903 the railroad reached San Rafael, this increased commerce with Buenos Aires.

The 7^th of October of 1922 a provincial decree established that San Rafael was from there on a city. After that the fruit and vegetable sector developed but the eruption of the Volcán Descabezado (Beheaded Volcano) in 1932 produced a drawback in the economy.

Bad weather in the ‘80s affected the rural sector in a negative way. Owing to this adventure tourism started to be regarded as an interesting economic alternative. Nowadays San Rafael Department with its well exploited natural resources is the most famous tourist oriented city in Mendoza, specialized in adventure tourism.

Geography

Location

San Rafael is located at the south of the province of Mendoza, close to the rivers Atuel and Diamante. The multiple zones that converge there, Valle Grande (Big Valley), el Cañón del Atuel (Atuel Canyon), El Nihuil, Los Reyunos, El Tigre (The Tiger), Agua de Toro (Bull’s Water) and Villa 25 de Mayo, make it an interesting choice for tourists.

Altitude: 810 meters (2657 feet) above sea level.

Latitude: 34° 37’ S

Longitude: 68° 20’ W

How to get there

By plane

Three scheduled flights depart weekly from Jorge Newbery Airport at Buenos Aires towards San Rafael. The local airport is 7 km (4 miles) from the city.

By car

From Buenos Aires: You should take National Route 7, then at Junín (Buenos Aires province) National Route 188. After 900 km (559 miles) you will reach Alvear, at the province of Mendoza. Once there it is 90 km (56 miles) by National Route 143 to get to San Rafael.

From the south of Argentina: National Route 151 links Neuquén city to Santa Isabel, Province of La Pampa. Then National Route 143 takes you to San Rafael.

From the north of Argentina: Once at Mendoza city you should find the Acceso Sur (South Access) and take National Route 40. At Pareditas this route meets Route 143 that takes you straight to San Rafael.

From Córdoba and San Luis: You should take National Route 146 that sprouts from National Route 7 right by San Luis city. Then you should drive 273 km (170 miles) to arrive in San Rafael.

By bus

There are several bus companies that offer daily services from Buenos Aires, passing through Liniers, to San Rafael. The trip is 13 hours long.

Distances from San Rafael to:

Buenos Aires city: 999 km. (621 miles).
Córdoba: 805 km. (500 miles).
Santa Rosa (La Pampa): 583 km. (362 miles).
Mendoza: 236 km. (147 miles).
Neuquén: 610 km. (379 miles).
Santa Fe: 1014 km. (630 miles).
San Luis: 274 km. (170 miles).
San Juan: 393 km. (244 miles).
Villa 25 de Mayo: 24 km. (15 miles).
Valle Grande: 37 km. (23 miles).
El Nihuil: 85 km. (53 miles).
El Nihuil by Cañón del Atuel: 75 km. (47 miles).
El Sosneado: 131 km. (81 miles).
Los Reyunos: 35 km. (22 miles).
Las Leñas: 223 km. (139 miles).

Topography and Hydrography

San Rafael is located at a stony plain crossed by the rivers Atuel and Diamante. Due to its fertility vineyards, olive trees and fruit trees thrive.

Climate

The weather is mild all year round. In summer the maximum temperature is 33°C (91°F) and the minimum temperature is 15°C (59°F). In winter the temperatures go between 1°C (34°F) and 16°C (61°F).

Economy

Cattle and sheep are raised and the agrarian products grown are: corn, alfalfa, vines, olive trees, fruit trees (peaches, pears and prunes). There are industries that elaborate these agrarian products such as dried fruits and marmalades, jams and liquors. The main national wineries are located around San Rafael.

San Rafael is a tourist oriented city. It counts with a busy mall, a casino, good lodging and gastronomy. The area is particularly suitable for outdoors activities such as trekking, rafting, mountain bike, etc.

Cañón del Atuel

(Atuel Canyon)

The River Atuel is born from the streams called Cobre and Tordillo, at the slope of Las Leñas, 4000 meters (13.100 feet) above sea level at the San Rafael department. Its main tributaries, mountain streams, meet at the Lagoon Atuel. The river is born at the lagoon and goes down from there. On its way it meets River Salado and then flows to Lake El Nihuil. There it is stopped by the dam called El Nihuil that generates a reservoir that covers 9600 hectares (23.700 acres). The reservoir is an excellent spot to practice water sports. The Cañón del Atuel is born there, at the Garganta del Diablo (Devil’s Throat). The canyon is sculpted by wind and water erosion on the Sierra Pintada (Painted Sierra). Some of the formations resemble President Rivadavia’s armchair, a procession of monks, elephants, an owl, hanging gardens, among others. They are all natural works with no human intervention whatsoever.

It is possible to go through the canyon by a road. This enables the visitor to appreciate infinite shades of green, yellow, red, grey, brown and black on its walls. These colors are the consequence of the mixture of mineral salts that form the rocks. The combinations of rocks from different geological eras that present different hardness (volcanic, sedimentary and metamorphic) generate a variety of textures and shapes.