PLACES TO VISIT

OLD COLONIAL QUARTER OR FOUNDATIONAL AREA
The heart of the colonial town founded by conquistador Pedro del Castillo in the year 1561 and partly restored in 1993. The latter area includes the Plaza del Castillo Square, the former Plaza Mayor Main Square, the Iglesia Matriz Main Church, a Museum, a Court with five Sculptural Modules, and a Subterranean Chamber with archaeological remnants.

At a time it was the social and religious centre of Cuyo. The area was almost completely destroyed by the 1861 earthquake. Its forestation was carried out in 1885 and it was remodelled in the 1930s and 1970s.

It has a rectangular form headed by the Plaza Pedro del Castillo Square and extending to Parque Bernardo O'Higgins and Sarmiento Square. Ituzaingo, Beltran and Alberdi Streets, Avenida Acceso, and the Cacique Guaymallen Duct surround it.

In this area and around the province, we find "Carteles de Rutas Sanmartinianas" signs which indicate the places closely linked to the Andes Army march, led by General Don Jose de San Martin.

Pedro del Castillo square
It is a charming square with diverse vegetation, among it some palm-trees that come from the Canary Islands, Brazil and the Misiones Province in Argentina. Its current appearance does not necessarily indicate its historical dating, since it was totally destroyed by the earthquake.

The square has had various names: Plaza de Armas in 1562, Plaza Independencia in 1810, Plaza de la Constitucion, Plaza Vieja, and Plaza del Matadero. Finally, in the XXth century, the square was named after the city founder.

After the earthquake, the square was rebuilt on a different location and the original place was abandoned and became a slaughterhouse and fairground. The square had to wait until 1885 to have trees and flowers planted, and then until the 1930s and 1960s for new work to be done. It was inaugurated in 1993.

Near the Plaza and all over the Foundational Area there are Signs painted on Tiles that indicate important events in the history of the city.

A sign on Calle Ituzaingo street N° 7, indicates the place of old Calle de la Cañada St., the main city route in the XVIII and XIX centuries. Another sign nearby is on J. B. Alberdi 13 Norte Street, the former location of Matriz Main Church, destroyed by the 1861 earthquake, facing the Plaza Mayor Main Square.

In current Plaza Castillo square, opposite the Matriz Main Church, General San Martin proclaimed Virgen del Carmen de Cuyo as the Patron and General of the Andes Army, Andes Army flag and commanding baton were blessed.

Another meaningful mark is on Beltran 14 Norte and Gobernador R. Videla 8th. The old Town hall, destroyed by the 1861 earthquake, used to stand here. It is a National Historical Place and now the site of the Foundational Area Museum.

The San Francisco Ruins
It was built in year 1731 as a residence for the Jesuits, and later given to the Franciscan Order in 1798, since the Jesuits had been barred from the Americas in 1767 by the Spanish Crown.

In one of the church chapels there is an altar with an image of Virgen del Carmen de Cuyo and the Commanding Baton of General San Martin, which was handed over by the liberator in 1818.

From this temple, in 1817, the image of the virgin came out in a procession to meet the Ejército Libertador in the Main Square, for the ceremony of its proclamation in front of the Main Church. After the 1861 earthquake it was possible to rescue the relics from among the ruins.

Its remains are the only visible testimony of the colonial period and of the earthquake's that destroyed the city in 1861. The traveller can see part of the bricks that supported the vaults of its naves, the dome over the transept, the elevated choir over the entrance, and the wall dividing the church from the convent and the school. They have been declared a National Historical Monument.

The Museum of the Foundational Area
It is located in the heart of the Foundational Area, on the Plaza Pedro del Castillo Square, exactly where years ago the Mendoza Town Hall used to be. Inside this museum we find a subterranean chamber that contains the archaeological remains of the Cabildo de Mendoza (1749-1861), the remains of the Slaughter House (1877-1927) and the Agricultural Produce Fair (1940-1980) that were built on top of the ruins of the first building.

We can see the floor of capitulary halls of the Town Hall, formed by Criollo style tiles, and the asphalt plaque and red tiles of the former slaughterhouse and fruit market respectively.

Among the objects in display we can see dioramas, photographs and models recreating the history and evolution of the city, besides some objects extracted in situ which date back to colonial times.

The museum's sculpture collection keeps sculptures from renowned local artists. Guided tours are provided at the request of tourists and school groups. We recommend making a phone call to book a visit.

The museum keeps the remains of an aqueduct and two fountains from old data that received water from El Challao and calmed the thirst of the city. Next to them is kept a screw belonging to the Huarpe culture. This chamber is reached through a tunnel connected to the surface by an outdoors staircase.

Diverse objects that were dug up are also exhibited here: they range from bottles to horseshoes. In the free area between the excavations and the coffee shop, to the left of area 2, there is a spot dedicated to temporary exhibitions, where photographs, paintings and valuable sculptures of local artists are shown.

San Martin's house
On Calle Corrientes N° 300 there are many plaques on the sidewalk indicating this is the site where General Don Jose de San Martin's house used to stand when he resided in the city, before the 1861 earthquake destroyed it completely.

In his campaign for freedom from Spanish domination in this part of the American continent, San Martin established himself in El Plumerillo military quarters, in the outskirts of Mendoza.

From there, as General-in-chief of the Andes army, on January 5th 1817 he began from Mendoza, where he was governor, the march to cross the Cordillera de los Andes to Chile through different passes.

The generalissimo would only come back through Mendoza in 1823, returning to Buenos Aires after playing a decisive role in the independence process of Chile and Peru.