Villa de Merlo
Encyclopedia
San Luis Province
San Luis is a province of Argentina located near the geographical center of the country . Neighboring provinces are, from the north clockwise, La Rioja, Córdoba, La Pampa, Mendoza and San Juan.-History:...
, Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, a small city administered by an intendant, presently Sergio Luis Guardia, FJpSL. The demotic for Merlo is "merlino".
Merlo is the principal tourist’s destination in San Luis, and the third most populous city in the province. Weather is mild and dry, scant wind, and the area has an abundance of streams.
Ways to Merlo
Merlo is located 751 kilometers from Buenos AiresBuenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
by the principal highway of the region, National Route 8 (Autopista Acceso Norte, Pilar
Pilar, Buenos Aires
Pilar is a city in the province of Buenos Aires, Argentina. It has a population of more than 226,000 inhabitants as per the . Pilar is part of the Greater Buenos Aires urban conurbation and is the head of the administrative division of Pilar Partido...
, Pergamino
Pergamino, Buenos Aires
Pergamino is an Argentine city in the Province of Buenos Aires. It has a population of about 104.922 inhabitants as per the and is the seat of the partido of the same name. Its UN/LOCODE is ARPGO.-History:...
, Venado Tuerto
Venado Tuerto
Venado Tuerto is a city in the south-west of the , 322 km from the provincial capital. It has about 70,000 inhabitants .Venado Tuerto was founded on April 26, 1884 by Eduardo Casey, born in Lobos, Buenos Aires, in 1847. He was the son of two Irish immigrants who had amassed considerable wealth...
, toward Río Cuarto
Río Cuarto
Rio Cuarto may refer to:*Río Cuarto, Córdoba*Cuarto River*Rio Cuarto craters...
, and from there by Ruta Provincial 1 to Villa de Merlo http://www.ruta0.com/rutas_argentinas.asp?desde=7&hasta=196&tipo=2). Merlo is located 250 km from Córdoba
Córdoba, Argentina
Córdoba is a city located near the geographical center of Argentina, in the foothills of the Sierras Chicas on the Suquía River, about northwest of Buenos Aires. It is the capital of Córdoba Province. Córdoba is the second-largest city in Argentina after the federal capital Buenos Aires, with...
, 650 km from the city of Rosario
Rosario
Rosario is the largest city in the province of Santa Fe, Argentina. It is located northwest of Buenos Aires, on the western shore of the Paraná River and has 1,159,004 residents as of the ....
; 460 km from the city of Mendoza
Mendoza, Argentina
Mendoza is the capital city of Mendoza Province, in Argentina. It is located in the northern-central part of the province, in a region of foothills and high plains, on the eastern side of the Andes. As of the , Mendoza's population was 110,993...
, and comparable distances from San Juan
San Juan, Argentina
San Juan is the capital city of the Argentine province of San Juan in the Cuyo region, located in the Tulúm Valley, west of the San Juan River, at above mean sea level, with a population of around 112,000 as per the ....
and La Rioja
La Rioja, Argentina
La Rioja is the capital city of the Argentine province of La Rioja, located on the east of the province. The city has a population of almost 150,000 as per the ....
.
Valle del Conlara airport, 18 km (11 mi) from Merlo, was opened at the end of 2001.
Additionally, the system of ground transport includes long-distance busses which travel from different parts of the country to the new terminal in Merlo.
Tourism
Merlo may be divided into two from the standpoint of tourism.- La Villa Colonial ("the colonial town"), whose settlement began at the end of the eighteenth century at Piedra Blanca, with its mild climate and numerous streams, includes the chapel of Nuestra Señora del Rosario ("Our Lady of the Rosary"), a national monument and one of the oldest buildings in the country.
- La Villa Veraniega ("the summertime town") possesses an important infrastructure to support tourism.
Principal Attractions
- "El AlgarroboAlgarroboAlgarrobo may refer to:* The European carob tree * South American trees of the genus Prosopis* On Cuba, the Albizia saman tree * Algarrobo, Chile, a city in Chile* Algarrobo, Magdalena a town in Colombia...
Abuelo" ("the Grandfather Carob Tree") is a specimen more than a thousand years old and measuring more than 6 meters. It has five very thick branches, some of which now touch the soil. - The picturesque village of Piedra BlancaPiedra BlancaPiedra Blanca is a city in Monseñor Nouel province, Dominican Republic....
, considered the center of the microclimate. - Pasos Malos, on the outskirts of Merlo, is a place much used for days in the country. Near Pasos Malos is Peñón del Colorado, an overlook with a splendid view of the Conlara valley.
- The resort of Rincón del Este, with a municipal camping site, a reservoir, and hotels. This area has natural swimming holes where El Rincón stream passes through.
- ParaglidingParaglidingParagliding is the recreational and competitive adventure sport of flying paragliders: lightweight, free-flying, foot-launched glider aircraft with no rigid primary structure...
, because of suitable conditions for the sport.
Holidays
- "Fiesta Nacional del Valle del Sol" (National Festival of the Valley of the Sun)
- Folklore festival, held in February
- "Fiesta de la Dulzura" (Festival of Sweetness)
- "Fiesta de la Rosa" (Rose Festival)
- "Fiesta Nacional del Microclima" (National Festival of the Microclimate)
- "Encuentro Decir por la Madera" (Gathering to talk about wood)
- "Encuentro Nacional de Pintores Paisajistas" (National Gathering of Landscape Painters)
- "Encuentro de Arquitectos" (Gathering of Architects)
History
In 1794, Juan de Videla visited Piedra Blanca and saw that the place was suitable for the foundation of a town, as he afterward informed the Marquess of Sobremonte. On October 1, 1796, Sobremonte ordered the formalization of its foundation, under the name of Villa de Melo ("Town of Melo"), given in honor of Pedro Melo of PortugalPortugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
.
On the morning of January 1, 1797, the townsfolk witnessed the formal foundation of their town. The ceremony took place in front of the chapel, beside an image of the Virgin of the Rosary. (At the same time, Saint Augustine was chosen to be the patron saint of the town.) The name of the town was altered over time and became Villa de Merlo.
One may see, in Marqués de Sobremonte square, plaques which commemorate the ceremonial founding of the town, and he may visit the old communal well and the chapel of Nuestra Señora del Rosario nearby.