The high mountain pass “Portillo Argentino” is the gate to an old trail used by ‘arrieros’ (muleteers) and travellers, such as Charles Darwin and General San Martín, to cross the Andes. From this steep col at 4.380 meters of altitude, the path descends into a world where an ancestral culture of horsemen and mountain people is still alive, in harmony with the wildlife and breathtaking landsacapes.
The traditional “reales” (campsites) offer the oportunity to sleep by the fireside under the mountain sky, and to experience -and share- the skills of the arrieros, from handling the horses to prepare “asado” (barbecue) no matter what the weather throws in.
|
|
In the forties, the Argentinian Army built a two-storey refuge, named Real de La Cruz. It was constructed through the effort and labour of both soldiers and mules.
It is a perfect starting point for expeditions and treks in the Tunuyán valley, such as crossing to Chile by the Piuquenes Pass, or the ascent to the southernmost 6000 m mountain in the world: Mount Marmolejo.
Another mountain in this valley is Mesón San Juan, with a wave-shaped summit reaching six thousand meters.
General José de San Martín, Argentina's national hero of Independence, used this trail in 1823, to come back from this campaign in Chile and Perú. Later, in 1834, the British naturalist Charles Darwin crossed the Andes by this pass, and studied the area.
In the valley is still common to find old "cow shoes", a variaton of the horse shoe, used to take live cattle across the Andes.
|
