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| Julio Argentino Roca - President 1898 to1904 |
Sometimes history is hard to face. The town square in Bariloche proudly hosts a statue of General Julio Roca, who was clearly admired in times past. You might notice some discoloration on the stone - a little red and green. The other side had more red (but is was in the shade, so didn't photograph as well). Marta told us that at Christmas time the statue is covered by the town's Christmas tree. So far, he has not been removed.
Yes, General Roca has become a troubling figure in Argentine history, as he was responsible for conducting a military operation which killed, displaced or enslaved indigenous peoples, especially the Mapuches, who lived here. It was euphemistically called Conquest of the Desert, which implied that no-one lived there. While Roca is also appreciated for other actions he took to promote the development of Argentina, the red marks on the statue reveal people's ongoing displeasure for the human cost of that development.
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| Dario Antihue From Mapuche Community |
To help us grasp the controversial history of the indigenous populations here, our travel company arranged for us to meet with Dario Antihue, a member of a local Mapuche tribe which continues to have a presence in this area. I had never heard of this tribe before, and it was pointed out that the ending 'che' is shared with North American tribes also - like Apache, Comanche, Cheyenne - suggesting a linguistic connection. Googling revealed that the 'che' means 'people', so the name of the tribe means means 'people of the land'. Another tribe which inhabited this area in the past were called the Tehuelche, but more on them later.
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| Historical Distribution of the Mapuche |
The name Bariloche comes from a Mapuche word - 'Vuriloche', which means people who give their backs to the mountains - meaning that they were the Mapuche who lived east of the Andes, as they would have their backs to the mountains during ceremonies. The people came here from Chile, before the arrival of white colonists. There are many parallels with the experiences of indigenous people's in the United States - but the Mapuche still have not been granted any communal land rights. Culturally they are re-establishing language and practices. Dario told us that his grandmothers would make the children leave the room when they spoke Mapuche language, but he said they listened through the door! He also shared that one of his grandmothers had been captured by the Mapuche as a child. She chose to stay, which he said was not unusual.
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| Elders and Women Valued in Mapuche Symbols |
Dario told us that women play an important role in keeping language alive and providing leadership. The symbolism he shared with us, which is also reflected in their flag, shows both male and female, young and old. The society is neither matriarchal or patriarchal - identity comes from family, rather than individual personhood. Nature is a large part of identity also. The Mapuche don't see themselves 'owning' nature, rather they represent that they 'are' nature. This is ironic in the modern world, as the dilemma of European view of 'ownership' has left them in a limbo. Due to their leaders' advocacy, a law was established in 2006 to prevent evictions of indigenous communities. This was to allow time for surveys to be conducted by the National Institute of Indigenous Affairs. The law continued to be extended until 2023, when the newly elected and current President, Javier Miele, suspended it. Pressures from mining companies, ranchers and international corporations have increased the resistance for government grants giving access to ancestral lands and evictions have occurred recently, within the national park here near Bariloche. Unfortunately, the success of tourism also increases value of the land creates a bigger hurdle for the Mapuche to succeed in recovering the land they once inhabited freely.
Clearly his is not a story which has a 'happy ending' yet. In the event you want to read more, the following article from Al Jazeera provides a historical summary and describes details about a recent eviction in this area.
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| A New Day! |
We had enjoyed our time in Bariloche, but the Tuesday morning was time for us to head across the mountains to Chile. We left early in hope of crossing the border before other larger bus loads of travelers arrived at the border crossing, which can sometimes be slow. The rising sun would be to our backs, but our route briefly took us around the lake where the beauty of the morning sky held the promise of a new day for us.
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| Lenticular Cloud |
As we turned to the west and toward the mountains we saw a fabulous lenticular cloud hovering over Nahuel Huapi Lake. (BTW, the name of the lake means 'island of the pumas' in Mapuche language.) This type of cloud forms over mountains, but this one was special - both lit up by the morning sun and looking a bit like an alien spaceship.
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| The Promise of Snowy Peaks |
In my mind, the name 'Andes', speaks of towering peaks and treacherous roads with shaky buses struggling through, but I had to be reminded that this far south, the mountains are not high. This pass, the Cardinal Santonio Samore Pass, is one of the easiest passes across the Andes and one of the few that is paved in this region. The pass itself is only 4,300 feet high, and the highest mountain we saw was 7,336 feet. However, the bonus prize for me was that this, and another nearby mountain, were both volcanoes! You know that made me happy!
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| Bar & Grill, Route 40 in Villa La Angostura |
The road we were on is one of those iconic roads - similar to how we regard Route 66 - which stretches around 3,200 miles north-south. One charming town we passed through on the route was the village of Angostura. It was a trendy resort town, smaller than Bariloche. Marta told us that it is another ski resort and even more 'high end' than the place we were leaving.
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| Villa La Angostura |
However, it is a town that is placed in an unfortunate space. It is near one of the volcanos I mentioned, which erupted in 2011. The village was covered in 8 inches of ash as well as having disruptions of power and water. But for the souls in this village, it was not just a 'one and done' event - it went on for 10 months. It must have been a time of great uncertainty.
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| Nothofagus Fall Colors |
I was thrilled to se the colors in the landscape - I had chosen to travel in April in hope of seeing the fall colors and as we went to higher elevations, it was pleasing me greatly. (Remember seasons are reversed in the southern hemisphere - so our spring is their fall.)
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| Pantojo Cerro |
Seeing this volcano show up finally was pretty thrilling, too. This one is Cerro Pantojo, and is the plug of an extinct basalt stratovolcano. It is not the one that erupted recently. It is the type of volcano one finds in Hawaii, where the lava flows smoothly and doesn't blow up. I thought it was lovely, the way its 6,640 feet towered over the landscape. Although there has been no activity for 10,000 years I was surprised that the vegetation along its slopes have not taken root in that time.
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| Nahuel Huapi National Park |
The Chilean border is also the edge of the Nahuel Huapi National Park which we had been enjoying in Bariloche. It is the first national park established in Argentina, in 1922.
When General Roca's was conducting the 'Conquest of the Desert' in the late 1800's, the government was also trying to define clearly their border with Chile. To assist in that effort, an explorer and scientist, 'Perito' Moreno, was called upon for his knowledge of the area. Moreno was a conservationist comparable to John Muir in the United States. After he had helped define the national borders, Moreno was granted substantial acreage in the region.
Yellowstone had already been established as a national park in the USA,
but it was after acting as a guide for Teddy Roosevelt who visited here in 1913, that Moreno decided to donate his land for it to become this national Park. It now serves as a 'no man's' land that helps to reduce border tussles that might otherwise arise. We will learn more about Perito Moreno later in our trip.
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| Dead Trees From 2001 Eruption |
As we travelled, we came across swathes of vegetation that had clearly been destroyed in the recent eruption of the other volcano.
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| The Top Blown Off - Puyehue Volcano |
This is the culprit that caused the trouble for the village of Angostura. I have to admit I found it a little underwhelming - probably because most of it is gone! Puyehue is actually a massif created by two volcanic mountains - the other one is called Cordon Caulle. Unlike the older, inactive volcanic plug we had just seen, this is the variety of mountain that is explosive and here you can see the way it has 'blown its top' off - similar to Mount St. Helens in Oregon. However, it was no respecter of national borders. The impact of the eruption in 2011 affected Argentina more than Chile - the ash also covered Bariloche, and the airport in Buenos Aries was closed. The impact even went as far as Melbourne, Australia, where the airport was also closed.
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| Back on the 'Ground'! Dairy Cows in Chile! |
What a difference rain makes. Coming down to the flats in Chile, we were now on the wet side of the mountains and the effect on the land was very obvious. The equivalent flat plains in Argentina on the dry side of the mountains were the semi-arid steppes with the end of summer burnt colors. In Argentina, the livestock needed many acres per animal. Here, the lushness was immediately evident.
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| Lunch in Moncopulli, Chile |
Passing through Chilean customs was tedious, but uneventful. We had been alerted to them being officious and strict. They did not allow any fruit through and we had been warned that fines were stiff. I had bought dried fruit and nuts a few days back and to avoid any issues had picked through and thrown all the fruit away! It was nice to stop in this lush setting for a meal and a stretch break.
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| Austral Parakeet |
I did a double take when I saw these birds outside the window of the restaurant - I thought I must have travelled too far west and had landed in Australia where we have lorikeets that look very much like these birds. Happily, I had not gone too far. These are Austral Parakeets, and I loved watching a flock of them flit around the trees.
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| Parakeet In Flight |
I was pleased to catch this one in flight - it shows the lovely coloring of the tail feathers.
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| Auto Museum, Moncopulli |
We were told we would have a 'surprise' after lunch. Indeed it was a surprise to see this auto museum which has the largest collection of Studebakers outside the United States.
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| 1925 Studebaker, Series 25EQ, Duplex Phaeton |
In addition to the Studebakers, the museum displays many other cars - the total collection has 150 vehicles.
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| BMW Isetta - a Bubble Car |
I was intrigued by this unexpected BMW that looked like a Volkswagen. It's a bubble car that was manufactured between 1955 and 1962 - only 161,728 were produced. Apparently the whole front of it opens up - you can see the hinges on the right as you look at the photo. I wonder where the accelerator or brake was located? It's fun to google to see a photo of it with the door open. Let me know if you've ever driven one!
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| Craft Fair, Puerta Varas, Chile |
Our destination in Chile was a town called Puerta Varas. We got there early enough to stop by the craft market. I loved seeing this hand spun and dyed yarn - but it was so bulky, I was able to avoid adding it to my stash!
Next time, I will share with you our adventures in Puerta Varas. There's a volcano here, too... so we'll 'see' how we do with it!
That's great Alwynne
ReplyDeleteTravelling through the Andes. The original peoples of that region.