Viedma

Introducing Viedma

Sharing the lush Río Negro with sister city Carmen de Patagones, Viedma, as the capital of Río Negro province, is comparatively bustling and prosperous. For travelers, it is a less-picturesque but more convenient base than next door, with a greater number of services and amenities. Social gatherings center on the riverfront, with upscale cafés and a jogging path close to downtown.

In 1779 Francisco de Viedma put ashore to found the city after his men started dying of fever and lack of water at Península Valdés. In 1879 it became the residence of the governor of Patagonia and the political locus of the country’s enormous southern territory. A century later, the radical Alfonsín administration proposed moving the federal capital here from Buenos Aires but was crushingly defeated.

Last updated: Feb 17, 2009