Valle de Punilla

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Coordinates: 31 ° 2 ′ 0 ″  S , 64 ° 30 ′ 0 ″  W.

Map: Argentina
marker
Valle de Punilla​
Magnify-clip.png
Argentina

The Valle de Punilla is a valley in the eastern Sierras de Córdoba in central Argentina (Province of Córdoba ). It extends for around 100 kilometers in a north-south direction and is one of the main tourist centers in the country (approx. 2.5 million visitors a year).

The name Punilla gave of Peru coming Spaniard the valley probably because the plateaus located in the West, the so-called Pampas Serranas , at her lying in the central Andean plateau of the Puna recalled. Another interpretation derives the name from a shrub that bears the name punilla and is common in the valley.

geography

location

The valley lies between the two mountain ranges of the Sierra Grande in the west and the Sierra Chica in the east, the ascent to the lower Sierra Chica is much more abrupt than the slowly rising western slope with its numerous side valleys. The most important elevation is the 1,949 meter high Uritorco in the northern part of the valley, the valley itself rises at the height of Los Cocos up to 1,300 meters.

Hydrography

In the south of the valley is the San Roque reservoir , which is drained to the east by the Río Suquía , the source of drinking water for the city of Córdoba . The main tributaries of the lake are the Río San Antonio in the south and the Río Cosquín and the Río Pintos in the north.

Flora and fauna

The area is covered by the scrub forest of Monte , most of which has now been converted into a cultural landscape. The native fauna was also heavily decimated by humans, mainly small animals ( armadillos , rabbits ) and reptiles ( Yarará snake) remained.

climate

The climate is subtropical and moderately dry, with precipitation falling almost exclusively in the summer months. In winter some snowfall is possible from time to time, but a closed snow cover is very rare. Summers are warm and winters are mild. Especially in the north, long periods of drought are possible, which often lead to forest fires, especially in extremely dry winters.

population

The valley is very densely populated and has a total of around 160,000 permanent residents. The southern half is built on throughout, the most important cities are also located here; Overall, this area is part of the metropolitan area of ​​the provincial capital of Cordoba , 25 kilometers east .

The population is mainly of European descent, the majority being urban refugees from nearby Córdoba, but also internal migrants from Buenos Aires . There are significant, long-established British and Jewish communities in La Cumbre and La Falda . The indigenous natives, on the other hand, have died out as an independent people, although there are many mestizos in the region.

Punilla Department

The valley, together with some villages on the plateau in the west, forms the independent Punilla department . The capital is Cosquín . The extreme north of the valley belongs to the Cruz del Eje department .

Cities and towns (from north to south)

  • Charbonier (2,000 inhabitants), starting point for the Los Terrones rock formation and the Ongamira grotto
  • San Marcos Sierras (2,000 inhabitants), well-known center for dropouts and naturists, popular destination with backpackers, about 20 kilometers west in a side valley. The honey festival is known in summer.
  • Capilla del Monte (11,000 inhabitants), tourist town at the foot of the Cerro Uritorco with various trekking routes, popular with ufologists and esotericists , as the region supposedly exudes positive energy.
  • Los Cocos (3,500 inhabitants), family-friendly holiday resort with many amusement parks and labyrinths, highest point in the valley, nature reserve.
  • La Cumbre (8,500 inhabitants), popular holiday destination and center of paragliding, popular at Easter because of its Christ statue and the Way of the Cross
  • La Falda (20,000 inhabitants including the suburbs of Villa Giardino , Valle Hermoso and Huerta Grande ), heavily frequented holiday resort with a small reservoir and old English mansions, large cuckoo clock
  • Cosquín (35,000 inhabitants including the suburbs of Santa María de Punilla and Bialet Massé ), capital of thePunilla department , known for its folklore and rock festival in summer and its good bathing opportunities on the Río Cosquín . To the east of the city is the Cerro Pan de Azúcar mountain, known as a viewpoint, to which a cable car leads.
  • Villa Carlos Paz (55,000 inhabitants, with its numerous suburbs 80,000), largest city in the valley, center of tourism on Lake San Roque, with a very complete tourist infrastructure and rich night life.
  • Cuesta Blanca with the Playa de los Hippies , a well-known dropout colony that emerged at the time of the military dictatorship.

Quebrada del Condorito National Park

The Quebrada del Condorito National Park is the only national park in the province of Cordoba. It is located in the extreme southwest of the valley, partly on a plateau that belongs to the Sierras Grandes . In addition to the mountainous landscape, a ravine with condors nesting on the slopes is protected . The birds can be observed from several viewpoints on the gorge, which in turn can be reached via a hiking trail and a specially signposted mountain bike path.

The starting point is on the national road Ruta 20 about 40 kilometers southwest of Villa Carlos Paz near La Punilla and is also served by public buses, parking is available at the El Cóndor restaurant five kilometers west.

Web links