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Charles Wiegand

Roaming South America

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There are 502 blog posts for you to enjoy.

Rosario de la Frontera AR - Pleasant but not a Must-See

November 8, 2026

The city name sign is in front of the bus terminal.

Rosario de la Frontera, Argentina - population of around 30,000 (ignore the Wikipedia page population number; it's way out of line) - was officially founded in 1874. The town is set back off the highway, which means it has retained its expansion around its plazas, not stretched out along the highway. The railroad passed through town, long ago abandoned, but there are a couple of old buildings left; the only one of any interest is the train station, but it's all boarded up and in disrepair (photos in the photo album). It's definitely a sleepy town, very quiet, laid-back, and a friendly place to visit for a meal on a long drive.

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La Rioja, AR - A Town with an Interrupted History

November 4, 2026

The city name sign is in the center of Av 1 de Mayo-Independencia and Highway RN75

La Rioja, Argentina - population of around 211,000 (as of 2022), is officially named "Ciudad de Todos los Santos de la Nueva Rioja." It was founded in 1591. The city was flattened by a magnitude 6.4 earthquake in 1894. Then again, in 1957, it was hit by a 6.0 magnitude earthquake. Then in 2002, it was again hit by another 6.0 magnitude earthquake.

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San Juan, AR - A City Devistated, yet Survived Stronger

October 30, 2026

This city name sign is in Parque Bicentenario, there's another in Plaza 25 de Mayo and another in Parque Manuel Begrano.

San Juan, Argentina, has a population of around 471,000 in the metropolitan area, as of 2010. The town itself has about 110,000. It is located in central-western Argentina, about midway between Mendoza and Salta. It's a very clean town, and there are many trees lining the streets, both in the center and in the suburbs.

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Uspallata, AR - Where the Mountain Snow Turned Me Around

October 26, 2026

City name sign in the main intersection, there is another bigger sign outside of town near the bridge

Uspallata, Argentina, has a population under 4000. Uspallata is the last town if you're westbound from Mendoza to Chile. Here you are at about 2040 meters (around 6700 feet) elevation, and it's rather on the chilly side, especially at night. The town is quite small, it's referred to as a village. There is a new supermarket about a kilometer outside the town center, which means few people walk to it. In town, there's pretty much every kind of shop you'd have a need for, and two ATMs at the one bank. There are lots of shops renting winter sports gear and chains for your car.

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Villa Mercedes, AR - A Second Visit was Worth It

October 22, 2026

villa mercedes sign

Villa Mercedes, Argentina, with a population of around 133,000, was founded as a post station in 1706 or so, the locals jokingly called it Las Pulgas (the fleas), then in 1752 the process to establish the town began. Villa Mercedes was named "Río Quinto" because the river Quinto runs alongside and through part of the town. It was founded in 1856, then in 1861 was named Villa Mercedes in honor to Virgen de las Mercedes (Our Lady of Mercy). The town is located right in the middle between Córdoba and Mendoza. My first blog of VM has the full history of the town. I find it a nice stop-over when traveling between those two cities.

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Chip Wiegand

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Contact me:

chip at wiegand dot org

I used to teach English as a foreign language in Barranquilla, Colombia. Now I'm retired and traveling throughout South America.

I'm from Kennewick, Washington, USA. In my previous life, as I call it, I was an IT guy, systems administrator, computer tech, as well as a shipping/receiving guy and also worked as a merchandising guy in a RV/Camping store.

©2002 - 2026 Charles Wiegand