Ancient Villa San Carlos

Lying one and a half hours away from the City of Mendoza, visiting San Carlos is discovering the quietest village in the southern border of Valle de Uco. Simple and good-natured, it is an invitation to silence and to slow pace while touring its shady tree-lined streets.

We got to this site after lunch and saw some people riding bikes, a dog taking a nap and two neighbors chatting without haste at the door of one house in the distance. It was a picture of the local daily life, only interrupted by those who decide to practice activities in the outskirts and pay a visit to town just to do the shopping

The main square is its presentation card. Public events are held there and neighbors gather up to share some gossip about the latest circumstances in town. The main street, called Eugenio Bustos, unveiled its commercial activity.
While walking along Lencinas Street, we found Fort San Carlos's Museum, which treasures the secrets of local history. Vestiges of the old fort created by the Spanish colonization, upon which the first organized town in Valle de Uco was developed in 1772 may be seen inside this venue.

Another transcendental episode was the meeting maintained in San Carlos by General José de San Martín and native chiefs before the general set out towards Chile in the company of the Army of the Andes.

An outstanding open-air amphitheater with sports facilities called Neyú Mapú caught our eye. The Provincial Tradition Festival and the local issue of the Grape Harvest Festival are presented there.

We followed the advice given by one of the locals and went around the area to visit one of the estates where daily rural life remains intact. We could also see a craft winery where homemade recipes have been passed on from generation to generation. All this ensured an honest chat, without haste and with the sole interest of proudly showing the benefits of the countryside and the land irrigated by meltdown waters.

La Consulta, one of the nearby spots, boasts the first family winery that has been betting on premium wine-making for five generations in a row.

In the summer, several circuits are invaded by lovers of adventure sports and nature, who come along to take advantage of the mild climate and the freshest air. The most famous one lies on the hillsides of the Maipo Volcano, where Laguna del Diamante Provincial Park rests.

San Carlos is not very large in size but it is 240 years old. Fortunately, the hurried modern pace has not been able to drag it towards vertigo or insecurity.