Earlier in the trip when we were traveling in Iguazú Falls and Buenos Aires, anytime we told the locals we met that we were also going to be visiting Mendoza, we would get favorable replies. Everyone we met said, "Oh, Mendoza is such a beautiful city" and "It's such a clean city; you're going to love visiting Mendoza." The Argentines are very proud of Mendoza. After spending a day in downtown Mendoza, I can rightfully claim that the Argentines are correct.
Mendoza's microcentro was rebuilt in the late 19th century after a large earthquake. The avenues were deliberately made wide to allow for easy evacuation should another earthquake hit the city. The streets are lined with sycamore trees and the city features a number of picturesque squares as well as one of the largest urban parks in the world. The center of Mendoza is the four-block wide Plaza Independencia. Among the magnolia and sycamore trees you will find a few museums and outdoor plazas for summer concerts and films. Within a short walk of the Plaza, near its corners, lies four orbital squares: plazas Chile, San Martín, España, and Italia. We visited three of the plazas, each with its own distinctive features.
Plaza San Martín
Plaza San Martín is northeast of Plaza Independencia. This square is dominated by an early 20th century statue of General San Martín on a horse, looking towards the Andes, which he crossed with his army to defeat the Spanish.
Statue of General San Martín
Plaza Italia is located southwest of Plaza Independencia. It is named for the Italian community that built a few monuments to their motherland within the square. The main feature in this plaza is a stone and bronze monument of General La Patria, flanked by an Indian and a Roman philosopher. A frieze running around the monument shows scenes of Italians building, ploughing and harvesting.
Plaza Italia
General La Patria with an Indian and Roman Philosopher
In the center of Plaza Italia is a low ceramic-walled fountain. Each of the tiles is of a different design; however, they are all done using the traditional colors and designs of Italian majolica.
Plaza Italia Majolica Tiles
The third plaza we visited was the Plaza España, which is located southeast of Plaza Independencia. Plaza España is the most beautiful of all of Mendoza's plazas. Its benches are decorated with brightly colored Andalucian ceramic tiles.
Plaza España
Hanging Out in the Plaza
Andalucian Tiles
The predominant feature of this plaza is the monument to the Spanish discovery of South America. This monument is comprised of a number of scenes depicted in ceramic tiles, including Don Quixote and Columbus's discovery of America.
Scene of the Missionaries
The Argentine Symbol in Tilework
Columbus Discovers America
Detail of Tilework
Video of the Monument to the Spanish Discovery of South America
Located about one kilometer west of downtown is the Parque General San Martín. This park is one of the most beautiful parks in Argentina and its large grounds contain a tennis club, soccer stadium, facilities for picnics, jogging routes, gardens, a riding club, a hospital, and a rowing lake among other things. If you take road to the steep hill, you will be rewarded with breathtaking views of Mendoza as well as the Andes.
Views of Mendoza
For most tourists, the primary reason to visit Parque General San Martín is to go to the top of the Cerro de la Gloria (Glory Hill) and see the somewhat imposing 1914 monument to the Army of the Andes, the Monumento Ejército Libertador. This monument is a rather curious sculpture. At the top of the monument, cast entirely in bronze, is a buxom, winged Liberty, waving broken chains and leading General San Martín and his victorious troops across the Andes. There are also bronze friezes depicting other scenes of the revolution across the base of the monument.
Monumento Ejército Libertador
Liberty Leading General San Martín
Bronze Frieze
Nearby Cerro de la Gloria is the outdoor amphitheatre where the finale of the Fiesta Nacional de la Vendimia (The Grape Harvest Festival) is staged. If you happen to find yourself in Mendoza during the harvest, you will want to make sure you attend this world renowned festival.
Amphitheatre
The main entrance to the Parque General San Martín is through a magnificent bronze and wrought-iron gate, topped with a condor.
Main Entrance to Parque General San Martín
In addition to the beautiful parks in Mendoza, the streets are all line with sycamore trees providing a canopy from the hot sun.
Sycamore Lined Street
Although Mendoza does not have an abundance of buildings of architectural interest, some of t he more interesting buildings include the Teatro Independencia, the Colegio Nacional Agustin Alvarez, and the Banco Hipotecario Nacional.
Teatro Independencia
Colegio Nacional Agustin Alvarez
Banco Hipotecario Nacional
The city's only church of note is the Basílica de San Francisco, which is located near the northwest corner of Plaza San Martín. This church, one of the first buildings to be built after the 1861 quake, was designed by a Belgian architect and modeled after the Eglise de la Trinité in Paris.
Basílica de San Francisco
Inside the Basílica
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