Zanja de Alsina (, ''
Alsina's trench'') were a system of
trench
A trench is a type of excavation or in the ground that is generally deeper than it is wide (as opposed to a wider gully, or ditch), and narrow compared with its length (as opposed to a simple hole or pit).
In geology, trenches result from ero ...
es and wooden watchtowers (''mangrullos'') built in the central and southern parts of
Buenos Aires Province
Buenos Aires (), officially the Buenos Aires Province (''Provincia de Buenos Aires'' ), is the largest and most populous Argentine province. It takes its name from the city of Buenos Aires, the capital of the country, which used to be part of th ...
to defend the territories of the federal government against indigenous
Mapuche
The Mapuche ( (Mapuche & Spanish: )) are a group of indigenous inhabitants of south-central Chile and southwestern Argentina, including parts of Patagonia. The collective term refers to a wide-ranging ethnicity composed of various groups who s ...
''
malones''. The -wide trench was reinforced with 80 small strongholds and garrisons, called ''fortines''. The defensive line was named after
Adolfo Alsina
Adolfo Alsina Maza (January 4, 1829 – December 29, 1877) was an Argentine lawyer and Unitarian politician, who was one of the founders of the Autonomist Party and the National Autonomist Party.Ione S. Wright and Lisa M. Nekhom, ''Historic ...
, Argentine Minister of War under
President
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* President (government title)
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Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...
Nicolás Avellaneda
Nicolás Remigio Aurelio Avellaneda Silva (3 October 1837 – 24 November 1885) was an Argentine politician and journalist, and President of Argentina from 1874 to 1880. Avellaneda's main projects while in office were banking and education ...
who planned the building of the trench in the 1870s. The trench's purpose was denounced when it became clear that it was unable to stop large-scale incursions between 1876 and 1877.
Conquest of the Desert
Fortification lines
Forts in Argentina
Buildings and structures in Buenos Aires Province
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