San Juan () is the capital and largest city of the
Argentine province
A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions out ...
of
San Juan San Juan, Spanish for Saint John, may refer to:
Places Argentina
* San Juan Province, Argentina
* San Juan, Argentina, the capital of that province
* San Juan, Salta, a village in Iruya, Salta Province
* San Juan (Buenos Aires Underground), ...
in the
Cuyo region, located in the Tulúm Valley, west of the
San Juan River, at
above mean sea level
Height above mean sea level is a measure of the vertical distance ( height, elevation or altitude) of a location in reference to a historic mean sea level taken as a vertical datum. In geodesy, it is formalized as '' orthometric heights''.
Th ...
, with a population of around 112,000 as per the (over 500,000 in the
metropolitan area
A metropolitan area or metro is a region that consists of a densely populated urban agglomeration and its surrounding territories sharing industries, commercial areas, transport network, infrastructures and housing. A metro area usually ...
).
It is a modern city with wide streets and well-drawn avenues with wide sidewalks and vegetation of different species of trees irrigated by canals, from which it derives its nickname ''oasis town''.
It has an important accommodation infrastructure and
transportation
Transport (in British English), or transportation (in American English), is the intentional movement of humans, animals, and goods from one location to another. Modes of transport include air, land ( rail and road), water, cable, pipelin ...
. It highlights modern buildings and the surroundings, the reservoir and Ullum dam, spas, museums, large plantations of vines, and various types of agriculture, with
wine
Wine is an alcoholic drink typically made from Fermentation in winemaking, fermented grapes. Yeast in winemaking, Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Different ...
being the most important.
History and architecture
Before the arrival of the
Spanish Conquistadores, the
Huarpe Indians inhabited this area.
San Juan de la Frontera was founded on June 13, 1562, by
Juan Jufré at the shore of the San Juan River. In 1593 flooding damaged the town, for which reason its setting was moved south to its current location.
San Juan was a sleepy, provincial town during colonial times (1562–1810) and took practically no part in the internal wars that devastated
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest ...
in its so-called ''Organizational Period'' (1820–1860.) Two of the most prominent members of the 1816
Congress of Tucumán which declared Argentina's independence from
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, ...
, however, came from San Juán:
Francisco Narciso de Laprida, who was president of the congress, and San Juan's bishop Friar
Justo Santa María de Oro, a
Dominican friar
A friar is a member of one of the mendicant orders founded in the twelfth or thirteenth century; the term distinguishes the mendicants' itinerant apostolic character, exercised broadly under the jurisdiction of a superior general, from the ...
and an eloquent speaker whose persuasive oratory was largely responsible for Argentina becoming a republic and not a
monarchy
A monarchy is a form of government in which a person, the monarch, is head of state for life or until abdication. The political legitimacy and authority of the monarch may vary from restricted and largely symbolic ( constitutional monar ...
like
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
.
Probably the most important and famous city son was Fray Justo's nephew, and president of Argentina between 1868 and 1874,
Domingo Faustino Sarmiento, whose birthplace was turned into a National Historical Monument in 1910, during the administration of
president
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
* President (education), a leader of a college or university
* President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...
Roque Sáenz Peña.
On January 15, 1944,
a powerful earthquake devastated the city, killing around 10,000 people and leaving half of the provincial population homeless. Another quake, 7.4 in the
Richter magnitude scale
The Richter scale —also called the Richter magnitude scale, Richter's magnitude scale, and the Gutenberg–Richter scale—is a measure of the strength of earthquakes, developed by Charles Francis Richter and presented in his landmark 1935 p ...
, struck 80 km northeast of the city on November 23, 1977, causing considerable damage and killing 65 people around the province.
After the disaster of 1944, the city was reconstructed on concentric boulevards, with straight, well-lit, tree-lined avenues and modern housing. It has mostly lost its colonial aspect, but retains an open, sunny Mediterranean look.
Geography and climate
The city of San Juan is located in a fertile valley within a rocky mountainous area. Winter temperatures are generally mild, averaging between and , but can drop below . Summers are hot, with average temperatures between and , and a record maximum of on December 20, 1995.
[
] The range of the mean monthly temperatures is 19.4 °C, possibly the highest in all South America. Sunny weather is common in all months and San Juan averages about 3,361.3 hours of bright sunshine, or about 76% of possible sunshine,
ranging from a low of 68% in June to a high of 81% possible sunshine in May.
Under the
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, nota ...
, San Juan has a
desert climate
The desert climate or arid climate (in the Köppen climate classification ''BWh'' and ''BWk''), is a dry climate sub-type in which there is a severe excess of evaporation over precipitation. The typically bald, rocky, or sandy surfaces in deser ...
(''BWh/BWk'').
Since very little rain falls in the region, the San Juan River has been dammed to provide a regular source of water to the city. The resulting
reservoir
A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation.
Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contr ...
is located in
Ullum, and is known as the
Quebrada de Ullum Dam. The dam also provides electrical power to the region.
Sixty-five percent of the surrounding area's agricultural production is related to
wine production.
Urban aspect
The city of San Juan completely changed its appearance from a colonial one to one of the most modern in the country after the earthquake of 1944, with well-drawn and wide paved streets, ample sidewalks of tiles or mosaics, and lined with acacias, moreras and paradise trees irrigated by quaint canals.
The city is located within the Capital District, which was planned in the form of a checkerboard anchored by Las Heras Avenue (from North to South), 25 de Mayo Av. (East to West), 9 de Julio Av. (east to west) and Guillermo Rawson Avenue (north to south). These four avenues form a perfect rectangle of 16 blocks in width (going from east to west and vice versa -horizontally-) by 10 blocks long (going up and down or North to South, and vice versa). This center of this rectangle is a square of 7 blocks in length by 6 blocks wide, delimited by Leandro N. Alem, Córdoba, Libertador San Martín and Rioja Avenues. This area is the city's downtown and, as such, is the most densely populated and concentrates most of the city's commercial, financial and institutional activities.
The most important perpendicular avenues are Mitre (known for its cinemas and
cyber café
Cyber may refer to:
Computing and the Internet
* ''Cyber-'', from cybernetics, a transdisciplinary approach for exploring regulatory and purposive systems
Crime and security
* Cyber crime, crime that involves computers and networks
** Conventio ...
s), José Ignacio de la Roza (built after the 1944 earthquake), commercial Santa Fe Avenue, Rivadavia street (the easternmost two blocks of which have been pedestrianized), and San Martín Avenue (which leads to most access routes towards Greater San Juan). The more important parallel arteries are Mendoza Avenue (leading to
Villa Krause), General
Mariano Acha Av. and Rioja Avenue.
Some of the city's most important landmarks are:
*Cathedral
Designed by architect Daniel Ramos Correa, the cathedral was inaugurated on December 16, 1979. The bell tower is a steeple of 51 meters (170 feet) in height, and features a British clock and a German carillon which sounds every 15 minutes. The interior is accessed through a bronze vestibule crafted
Faenza,
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
with bas-reliefs of
Saint Rose of Lima, Saint Louis of France, the Apostle Santiago, Saint Anne and several shields and emblems. In the basement of the church is the crypt, the pantheon of the bishops and the chapel of Friar
Justo Santa María de Oro.
*25 May Park
This is the city's principal urban park, providing a green space with a colorful variety of flora. The park also features 19th century-era monuments to President
Domingo Sarmiento
Domingo Faustino Sarmiento (; born Domingo Faustino Fidel Valentín Sarmiento y Albarracín; 15 February 1811 – 11 September 1888) was an Argentine activist, intellectual, writer, statesman and the second President of Argentina. His writing s ...
and Friar
Justo Santa María de Oro. The central fountain, dating from 1871, was remodeled on several occasions.
*Aberastain Park
Named for a former governor, the park features a monument to its namesake (Antonio Aberastain).
*Peatonal Tucumán and Rivadavia
The city's most important, pedestrianized streets, their well-landscaped setting and variety of retail outlets make them favorites among both locals and tourists.
*May Park
Named to commemorate the
May Revolution
The May Revolution ( es, Revolución de Mayo) was a week-long series of events that took place from May 18 to 25, 1810, in Buenos Aires, capital of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata. This Spanish colony included roughly the terri ...
of 1810, the park a children's section, an artificial lake with an island, fish and aquatic birds, a
velodrom
The Velodrom ( velodrome) is an indoor track cycling arena, in the Prenzlauer Berg locality of Berlin, Germany. Holding up to 12,000 people, it was also Berlin's largest concert venue, until the opening of O2 World in 2008.
It is part of a l ...
e, and numerous sculptures and monuments to General
José de San Martín, Governor Federico Cantoni, and to sports.
Transport
The city has modern transport infrastructure and is accessible via a
ring road, and the South Access Freeway, among others. The city's outward growth has made a second ring road necessary, and the project is under construction. The motorway will reduce commuting times from Greater San Juan to downtown, and will also facilitate large freight truck traffic (diverting it from the city proper). It also calls for a complementary project for another motorway called South Corridor, connecting downtown San Juan with
Rawson and other southern suburbs.
The urban public
transport passengers from the City of San Juan consists of
bus lines marked with numbers and letters (19 or 26A), linking the city centre with the various neighbourhoods and the rest of the Great San Juan. The city also has taxi service and remises.
The rapid growth of the city has necessitated new means of transportation, and a feasibility study was recently commissioned on the development of a
trolley service between downtown and Greater San Juan. The proposed routes would unite Chimbas-San Juan (Center)-
Villa Krause and Rivadavia-San Juan (Center)-
Santa Lucia, as well as one circulating downtown.
Long distance public transport is provided by the modern Bus Terminal, with more than 6,000 sq metres (64,000 Sq ft) of area in platforms. The terminal also includes administration offices, ticketing, information, a police precinct, a first-aid room, telephone booths, shops, a restaurant, and other facilities.
Domingo Faustino Sarmiento Airport
Domingo Faustino Sarmiento Airport ( es, link=no, Aeropuerto de San Juan – Domingo Faustino Sarmiento) is an airport in San Juan Province, Argentina, serving the city of San Juan. It is named after Domingo Faustino Sarmiento, the seventh Pres ...
is located 15 kilometers from the city in 9 de Julio Department, more precisely in the village of Las Chacritas. This airport serves routes from San Juan to Buenos Aires.
The city is situated on
National Route 40, connecting it with
Mendoza (168 km) to the south and
La Rioja (449 km) to the north; National Route 20 connects San Juan to
San Luis (323 km to the east). Distances to other important cities are as follows:
Córdoba (585 km),
Catamarca (623 km) and
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...
(1110 km).
Main sights
The old
cathedral
A cathedral is a church that contains the ''cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denominations ...
, an 18th-century
Jesuit style building, was destroyed in the 1944 earthquake, but has been replaced by a modern-
Tuscan-
romanesque building with a
campanile. San Juan is the seat of a
Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
* Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
* Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...
metropolitan
Metropolitan may refer to:
* Metropolitan area, a region consisting of a densely populated urban core and its less-populated surrounding territories
* Metropolitan borough, a form of local government district in England
* Metropolitan county, a typ ...
Archbishop
In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdio ...
and a Catholic University. San Juan possesses the Juan Victoria Auditorium, one of the most modern and active concert halls in Argentina, as well as many leafy parks and squares, including Parque de Mayo with its vast artificial lake.
In October 2016, the Teatro del Bicentenario opened in downtown San Juan, which allows for 1129 spectators, the largest in the Province and has become one of its main tourist attractions.
Tourism to San Juan is centered around wine production and
dégustation as well as the rock formations in places like the
Ischigualasto National Park (which includes the
Valle de la Luna), 330 km north of the city, and the
Quebrada de Ullum Dam (18 km from the city).
An integral attraction to the province is its large
Triassic
The Triassic ( ) is a geologic period and system which spans 50.6 million years from the end of the Permian Period 251.902 million years ago ( Mya), to the beginning of the Jurassic Period 201.36 Mya. The Triassic is the first and shortest per ...
period fossil record, believed to be one of the largest in the world.
There is also the
Mariano Gambier Archeology museum at La Laja, Albardón county, some 25 km from the center of the city. It concerns itself with the many cultures that inhabited San Juan from
Pre-History till the arrival of the Spaniards in 1560. It has a priceless collection of Indian artifacts, cave paintings and other elements of agriculture and life in the Tulum valley from the last 8500 years.
The city also hosts the Fiesta Nacional del Sol, a festival that celebrates nature over five days in February.
Museums in the city include:
*Casa Domingo Faustino Sarmiento, located at the intersection of Libertador General San Martín Avenue and Sarmiento street. Made a
National Historic Monument in 1910, this was the first site so designated in Argentina. The local educator and President of the Republic from 1868 to 1874,
Domingo Sarmiento
Domingo Faustino Sarmiento (; born Domingo Faustino Fidel Valentín Sarmiento y Albarracín; 15 February 1811 – 11 September 1888) was an Argentine activist, intellectual, writer, statesman and the second President of Argentina. His writing s ...
, was born here in 1811 and raised here, as well.
*San Martin's Monastic Cell, in the Santo DOmingo Convent, where Jose de San Martin, a military leader who led independence campaigns in Argentina, Chile and Peru, stayed during a 1815 visit to the city to raise support for the revolutionary wars. It maintains its simple furniture from the time of his visit.
*Franklin Rawson Museum of Fine Arts/Agustín Gnecco Historical Provincial Museum, named after the local painter
Benjamin Franklin Rawson (1819–1871). It houses a patrimony of paintings and sculptures, engravings and drawings from national artists. The Gnecco Museum features elements related to fashion in the 18th and 19th centuries, Creole silverwork, as well as historic numismatics and
philately collections.
*Amid Read Museum/Carlos Gardel House of Tango provides displays and videos outlining the development of
Argentine Tango
Argentine tango is a musical genre and accompanying social dance originating at the end of the 19th century in the suburbs of Buenos Aires. It typically has a or rhythmic time signature, and two or three parts repeating in patterns such as ABA ...
, and its evolution in the 20th century. Conferences, discussions, and violin and
bandoneón
The bandoneon (or bandonion, es, bandoneón) is a type of concertina particularly popular in Argentina and Uruguay. It is a typical instrument in most tango ensembles. As with other members of the concertina family, the bandoneon is held ...
classes are among the activities hosted here.
* Natural Sciences Museum. This facility, housed in a former
railway station
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in Track (rail transport), tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the ...
is known for its
dinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of reptiles of the clade Dinosauria. They first appeared during the Triassic period, between 243 and 233.23 million years ago (mya), although the exact origin and timing of the evolution of dinosaurs is t ...
fossil collections, found mainly in the nearby
Ischigualasto Valley.
Wine Region
San Juan is ranked second among the wine-producing provinces of Argentina. It has a cultivated area of 116,700 acres at altitudes of between 1,970 (601m) and 4,590 feet (1399m) above sea level. This region specializes in
Syrah,
Malbec,
Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon () is one of the world's most widely recognized red wine grape varieties. It is grown in nearly every major wine producing country among a diverse spectrum of climates from Australia and British Columbia, Canada to Lebanon ...
,
Bonarda,
Chardonnay and
Torrontés
Torrontés is a white grape variety, mostly produced and known in Argentine wine, producing fresh, aromatic wines with moderate acidity, smooth texture and mouthfeel as well as distinctive peach and apricot aromas on the nose.Robinson, Jancis ''V ...
.
Because of this area's
semi-desert climate,
viticulture
Viticulture (from the Latin word for '' vine'') or winegrowing (wine growing) is the cultivation and harvesting of grapes. It is a branch of the science of horticulture. While the native territory of '' Vitis vinifera'', the common grape vine, r ...
is dependent on irrigation from the
San Juan San Juan, Spanish for Saint John, may refer to:
Places Argentina
* San Juan Province, Argentina
* San Juan, Argentina, the capital of that province
* San Juan, Salta, a village in Iruya, Salta Province
* San Juan (Buenos Aires Underground), ...
and
Jáchal River
The Jáchal River is a river in the province of San Juan, Argentina. It is part of the Desaguadero River basin, and one of the most important permanent watercourses in the province, with an average flow of . It is born from the confluence of the ...
s.
Notable residents
*
Bandoneon musician, composer, and arranger
Juan Pablo Jofre was born and raised in San Juan before relocating to New York City.
*
César Garipe (born 1981), Argentine former professional footballer
References
External links
Página Oficial de la Provincia de San Juan(Spanish)
Municipality of San Juan- Official website.
*
{{Authority control
Populated places in San Juan Province, Argentina
Capitals of Argentine provinces
Populated places established in 1562
Cities in Argentina
1562 establishments in the Spanish Empire