The people's hero
by TheWanderingCamel
Tattered red streamers and flags fluttering in the breeze above little red-roofed shelters contrasting brightly amid the intense green fields of the Uspallata Valley were the first thing to catch the eye. Closer inspection revealed a motley collection of broken toy cars, messages tucked into bottles, red candles and plastic flowers, an odd assortment of seeming rubbish mixed up with small crosses, all gathered together in what was obviously some sort of shrine. They fascinated me but the girls at the hotel shrugged their shoulders when I asked what it was and said they didn't know.
A sign saying "El Gaucho Gil" at the next one we saw gave the first clue and a quick google soon told the story.
Antonio Gil, 19th century gaucho-turned-bandit has become something of a cross between a local saint and Robin Hood figure to the poor and dispossessed of rural Argentina. A folk healer whose refusal to fight in a provincial civil war made him an outlaw, Gil was known to rob the rich to help the poor. After his execution (unjust maybe, a pardon seemed likely) a legend grew that attributed the miraculous recovery of a young boy to his intervention. More "miracles" followed and the shrines proliferated, all distinguished by their red flags and streamers and the small offerings people leave behind - candles and long red ribbons from those praying for a safe journey; cars and models of houses and such from those seeking more tangible improvements to their lives.
A huge shrine has grown around the place of his purported execution in Corrientes and thousands flock to it each year, but its these wayside shrines that are quite touching with their mixture of poverty and hope.
Terraza Mirador
by mindcrime
This is the rooftop terrace of the city hall. I went there one afternoon because I wanted to have a panoramic view while watching the sunset.
The problem was that when I tried to go up I couldn’t find the entrance. The main entrance (the one that locals use in the morning for their daily works with the city hall) was closed and some people I talked to couldn’t understand what I was looking for. I looked up at this thirty meters high building (that was built in 1969) but I couldn’t see anyone.
I had read before that the terrace it’s open 8:00-20:00 so there must be another entrance for the visitors. An old man told me to go from the back of the big building and I did that but no luck again. Anyway, here’s a photo of the city hall but if someone else did manage to get up there I’ll be happy to hear how! :)
address:9 de Julio 500
Plazas (1)
by andal13
A peculiar characteristic of Mendoza is the high number of squares; you walk three blocks in any direction, and you will find a square. These squares have several fountains and trees, that give a fresh sensation. And people in Mendoza are so spruce, that clean square's floor six times a day!!!
Una característica peculiar de Mendoza es el elevado número de plazas; uno camina tres cuadras en cualquier dirección, y se encuentra con una. Estas plazas tienen fuentes y son muy arboladas, lo que da una sensación de frescura. Y los mendocinos son tan pulcros que limpian el suelo de sus plazas seis veces al día!!!
El pasaje San Martin
by Gaspar&Floppy
Located at the corner of San Martin Ave and peatonal Sarmiento, this building was the tallest building in Mendoza up to the 1950's.
It's a beautiful building to visit with a great vitraux in the center of it.
A valley in Tibet
by TheWanderingCamel
About halfway between Mendoza and Puente del Incas, the wide Uspallata Valley is the most beautiful and tranquil place. Encircled by mountains, it's a lush green oasis of farmland, vineyards and poplars, so remote and other-wordly it was used as a stand-in for the Himalayan valleys of Tibet in a film about Austrian mountain climber Heinrich Harrer who found redemption and enlightenment in the mountains there. I don't know about looking for redemption, but certainly you could find peace and inspiration in this Andean mountain valley.
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Basilica del San Francisco
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