Las Cuevas, the last town on the border

Las Cuevas is a trip to the heart of the mountain range in Mendoza, a high mountain village linked to the Andean crossing and the remnants of history left by the railway.

In the middle of the mountain range, on the border of Chile and Argentina, Las Cuevas is a border town, of those that we see in the films, with traffic of large trucks crossing the international tunnel. It is the last Argentine town in the department of Las Heras, mendoza, reached by national route No. 7.

A high mountain village

210 km from the Capital of Mendocina, Las Cuevas has few inhabitants, most of them workers from Gendarmerie and Customs. Route 7 is its main access, one of the roads that runs through Argentine territory and joins several provinces. It forms a branch of the Mercosur Bio-Oceanic Corridor and a stretch of the Pan American Highway.
We can also say that it is a people with a Peronist essence, but we do not talk about political ideas, but about its foundation. Back in 1950, then-President Perón and his wife traveled on the historic Trasandino Train to Chile, crossing mendoza province. On his return, the Eva Perón Foundation arranged the construction of a village as an entrance to the province of Mendoza from the Chilean side. A set of Swiss-style houses with their government agencies gave rise to Las Cuevas.

There are traces of what was once a magnificent piece of engineering. Two countries were joined by the train that ran through the bowels of the mountain. The last train circulated in 1979 and successive avalanities gave a natural closure to the tracks to recover what had once belonged to the mountain. Every now and then a reconstruction project emerges but remains only ideals that are difficult to manage.

Today Route 7 is the nerve link between the two borders. The Caves rises as a hamlet at 3557 meters above sea level, sometimes forgotten, sometimes valued to build a tourist villa. It is a high mountain landscape, frequented by travelers who are encouraged to the Aconcagua and by those who want to visit the Christ the Redeemer of the Andes, by a meandering path that leads to the heart of the mountain range. This 1904 monument, erected in the Uspallata Pass, is the symbol of peace between Chile and Argentina and speaks of a bond stronger than the power of the mountains. The Uspallata Pass is the place where the Army of the Andes crossed in 1817.

The Caves function as a base for other walks in the vicinity, such as the Inca Bridge, a very unique geological structure, or Los Penitentes, a Mendoza ski resort. Mountain excursions to The Aconcagua Provincial Park, such as the Quebrada de los Horcones, allow you to get a wonderful view of the Andean giant.

Miriam Coronel Welcomeargentina

Activities and tours in Mendoza

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