Roaming South America

Salvador Mazza, Argentina

April 18, 2023

Salvador Mazza, Argentina, population: about 20,000. Salvador Mazza is located at the border of Argentina and Bolivia. The municipality of Salvador Mazza was created in 1951 after Argentina and Bolivia finalized the border between them. The man, Salvador Mazza, was a professor and medical scientist who co-discovered trypanosomiasis. He later died of that same disease.

In 1938, a bridge was built over the river Caraparí which moved international traffic into the town, then known as Pocitos. This allowed the town to grow quickly and into the 1950s, but after that, it was up and down over the years. A new bridge was built in 1978. At about 20,000, the town pretty much stalled in its growth, but the traffic crossing the border, especially large trucks, is constant.

Salvador Mazza has a tropical climate with a long dry season. The average daytime high of 26° C (79° F), and the night average low of 16° C (61° F). The city's elevation is 804 meters (2637 feet). Salvador Mazza averages 186 mm (7.3 inches) of rain per year.

So, my impressions: During my short stay, one afternoon and one night, it rained and the place was a muddy mess. Most of the roads are dirt, or mud, and lots of it. There may be more heavy truck traffic than cars and motorcycles combined, because of the international crossing. The town is generally quite ugly and has nothing of interest. Don't waste your time visiting. If you have to come here then plan on passing straight through and across the border. This place is ugly, just look at the pic in the photo album.

My goal is to find a new place to live. So to reach that goal I am traveling most of South America, visiting the countries of Ecuador, Perú, Bolivia, and Chile, passing through Argentina, visiting Paraguay, passing through a bit of Brazil, and finally visiting Uruguay. I have a list of towns, about 70, that meet these qualifications: Cities with average day temperatures of 22-28° C (72-83° F) and night temps of 14° C (57° F) and higher; and a population between 28,000-300,000. I analyzed climate and population data of around 700 towns in the countries mentioned above and then pulled out the ones that meet the previously mentioned criteria, which leaves about 70. My preference leans towards towns of less than 100,000 people.  And, now that I have visited more than 30 towns/cities, I've decided I will probably want an inland town. I love the beach and walking in the warm water, but, getting sunburned is just too easy, even on a cloudy day. At least, here in Ecuador. I've also decided that any town with more than 100,000 population will be too big. I've decided that any small town/city (less than around 80,000 population) that meets the temp specifications and has a supermarket and ATM is one worth considering to live in.

My goal is to visit the towns and discover which one calls out to me - "Chip, Chip, make your new home here, this is your new home town". That hasn't happened yet, but the seven towns listed below are very close to giving me that feeling. At any rate, I am not visiting tourist attractions or archeological sites, etc, those will have to wait for another trip through South America.

At this point in my journey I have five towns on my Top 10 list - Tingo Maria, Moyobamba, La Merced, Perú, and Catamayo and Puyo, Ecuador. In my travels in Ecuador, I visited 32 towns/cities. In Perú, I visited 26 towns/cities, in Chile, only five towns, and in Argentina, I visited 12 towns.

Next up: Formosa, Argentina.