Carmen De Patagones

Introducing Carmen De Patagones

Steep cobblestone streets and colonial stylings breathe a little romance into this languid river town. Patagones, as it is known locally, is both the gateway into Patagonia and the southernmost city in Buenos Aires province, 950km south of the capital via RN 3.

In 1779 Francisco de Viedma founded the town of Viedma on the southern bank of the Río Negro, and a fort on the northern bank, which later expanded to became Patagones. The region’s first colonists hailed from the Spanish county of Maragatería in León (to this day, townspeople are still called maragatos) and fashioned their first dwellings in the side of the hills.

Patagones’ claim to fame came in 1827, when its smaller and less-equipped forces repelled superior invaders during the war with Brazil. Every year, at the beginning of March, the Fiesta del Siete de Marzo celebrates this triumph with ten days of música folklórica (Argentine folk music), parades and traditional food and crafts.

Last updated: Feb 17, 2009