The Parque General San Martín is a park located in the city of Mendoza,

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

Overview

The construction of the park, originally named ''Parque del Oeste'' (Western park), began on December 6, 1896, under the direction of the landscape architect

Carlos Thays Carlos Thays (August 20, 1849 – January 31, 1934)Biog ...

, who employed a combination of English and French 19th century styles in its design. The gates at the main entrance were installed in 1909, and are decorated with a condor and the coat of arms of the city. The park was renamed in honor of General

José de San Martín José Francisco de San Martín y Matorras (; 25 February 177817 August 1850), nicknamed "the Liberator of Argentina, Chile and Peru", was an Argentine general and the primary leader of the southern and central parts of South America's succe ...

, who led the

Argentine War of Independence The Argentine War of Independence () was a secessionist civil war (until 1816) fought from 1810 to 1818 by Argentine patriotic forces under Manuel Belgrano, Juan José Castelli, Martín Miguel de Güemes, Martin Miguel de Guemes and José de ...

. The 393 hectare (971 acre) park has 34 sculptures decorating the paths and roads. ''El rosedal'' (rose garden) is a promenade inaugurated in 1919. The park is also the location of the

Estadio Malvinas Argentinas Malvinas Argentinas Stadium () is a stadium in the city of Mendoza in the homonymous province of Argentina. With a seating capacity of 42,000 spectators, the stadium is the largest in Mendoza. Built for the 1978 FIFA World Cup, It is owned and ...

; the

Universidad Nacional de Cuyo The National University of Cuyo (, UNCuyo) is the largest center of higher education in the province of Mendoza, Argentina. As of 2005, the university had 12 academic schools in the city of Mendoza and a delegation in the city of San Rafael (pr ...

; the Monument to the

Army of the Andes The Army of the Andes () was a military force created by the United Provinces of South America, United Provinces of the Río de la Plata (Argentina) and assembled by General José de San Martín as part of his campaign to liberate Chile from the S ...

(created by Juan Manuel Ferrari and unveiled in 1914); The Frank Romero Day Amphitheater, site of the annual '' Fiesta Nacional de la Vendimia'' (National Grape Harvest Festival) since 1936; the Cornelio Moyano Museum of Anthropology and Natural Sciences, which maintains 40,000 exhibits;

Gimnasia y Esgrima de Mendoza Club Atlético Gimnasia y Esgrima (usually known as Gimnasia y Esgrima de Mendoza) is an Argentine football club located in the city of Mendoza. They currently plays in the Primera B Nacional, the second division of the Argentine football league ...

; the Andino Country Club; the Mendoza Lawn Tennis Club; El Pulgarcito Theater; a

hippodrome Hippodrome is a term sometimes used for public entertainment venues of various types. A modern example is the Hippodrome which opened in London in 1900 "combining circus, hippodrome, and stage performances". The term hippodroming refers to fr ...

; a

velodrome A velodrome is an arena for track cycling. Modern velodromes feature steeply banked oval tracks, consisting of two 180-degree circular bends connected by two straights. The straights transition to the circular turn through a moderate easement ...

; a

botanical garden A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens. is ...

and the Mendoza Zoological Park; and a large lake inaugurated in 1906 which is the site of the Club Mendoza de Regatas (established in 1909).

History

The

1861 Mendoza earthquake The 1861 Mendoza earthquake occurred in the province of Mendoza, Argentina on 20 March at 11:30 PM. It had an estimated magnitude of 7.2 on the scale and an intensity of IX–X on the Mercalli scale. Its hypocenter was located at an estimated ...

left the city affected by epidemics of diphtheria, cholera, and measles. These and other public health challenges figured prominently in the plans formulated for the city's reconstruction by the Minister of Works and Utilities, Emilio Civit. Civit drafted Provincial Law No. 3, which provided for a

reforestation Reforestation is the practice of restoring previously existing forests and woodlands that have been destroyed or damaged. The prior forest destruction might have happened through deforestation, clearcutting or wildfires. Three important purpose ...

program as part of a

flood control Flood management or flood control are methods used to reduce or prevent the detrimental effects of flood waters. Flooding can be caused by a mix of both natural processes, such as extreme weather upstream, and human changes to waterbodies and ru ...

plan, as well as other improvements, such as a new prison. Following numerous delays, Law No. 19 was signed by Governor Juan Cornelio Moyano to that effect on December 6, 1896. The bill earmarked the creation of the ''Parque del Oeste'', a "Western Park", and commissioned the noted

French Argentine French Argentines (; ) refers to Argentine citizens of full or partial French ancestry or persons born in France who reside in Argentina. French Argentines form one of the largest ancestry groups after Italian Argentines and Spanish Argentine ...

landscape architect

Carlos Thays Carlos Thays (August 20, 1849 – January 31, 1934)Biog ...

for its design. Thays was responsible for other important Argentine parks such as

Ninth of July Park Ninth of July Park () is the largest public park in the city of San Miguel de Tucumán, Argentina. History and overview Economic growth in the Argentine Northwest city of Tucumán and the Birthday of a historical icon Abigail Robisky, as in cit ...

, Sarmiento Park,

Parque Tres de Febrero Parque Tres de Febrero, popularly known as Bosques de Palermo (Palermo Woods), is an urban park of approximately 400 hectares (about 989 acres) located in the neighborhood of Palermo in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Located between Libertador and F ...

, and

Nahuel Huapi National Park Nahuel Huapi National Park () is the oldest National Parks of Argentina, national park in Argentina, established in 1922 as Parque Nacional de Sud and reconfiguered in 1934. It surrounds Nahuel Huapi Lake in the foothills of the Patagonian Andes. ...

. Construction of this park sparked controversy among governing and opposition politicians in Mendoza. Governor Moyano stated that the project address public health weaknesses that persisted after the quake, while the opposition argued that this large-scale construction sought only elitist purposes, and that with a smaller amount of money major deficiencies of the day such as a lack of sewers, waterworks, and irrigation ditches could be overcome. The park proved beneficial to the

Greater Mendoza Gran Mendoza (Greater Mendoza) is the name given to the large urban conurbation around the city of Mendoza in Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area ...

in the long term, however, resulting in significantly improved air quality in the area, and well as greater investment higher real estate values. Army of the Andes Monument, Mendoza 01.jpg, Monument to the

Mendoza - Plaza Sarmiento 1.jpg, Fountain of the Continents Rosedal del Parque San Martín 216.jpg, Rose Garden General San Martín Park, Mendoza 01.jpg, Park's lake Club Mendoza de Regatas.jpg, Club Mendoza de Regatas

References

External links

Official Mendoza Government websiteOfficial Parque General San Martín websiteOfficial Cuyo National University websiteOfficial Cricyt websiteOfficial Mendoza Yachting Club websiteOfficial Mendoza Flying Club websiteOfficial Mendoza's Zoo website
{{DEFAULTSORT:General San Martin Park Mendoza, Argentina Parks in Argentina Protected areas of Mendoza Province