Carmen de Patagones is the southernmost city in the Province of Buenos Aires. This town is of an astonishing beauty and particular charm.
Walking in the downtown area we have the sensation of living in the past. Feeling and seeing colonial times.
Among the mandatory visits you have a colonial type house called “La Carlota”. It was built at the beginning of the 19th. century in adobe and colonial roof tiles. It was named after its last owner, doña Carlota Martínez de Ibáñez, a lady from a traditional Spanish family. The house is furnished and surrounded by a small park.
When leaving the house you can walk the streets down to the Río Negro, and continue along the beautiful corniche, visiting the piers and contemplating the big houses on the riverside. In the old times they were occupied by general stores that gave life to this harbor, so active then.
Torre del Antiguo Fuerte is another relic. Built in the 18th. century with large sandstone blocks from the area. It symbolizes the effort of the national troops to preserve the sovereignty in the southern regions. It was declared a Historical Monument in 1942 and stands in the back of the Parochial Church.
A visit to this church is also interesting. The first nave was built in 1885 and in its interior you can see the imperial flags from Brazil taken as war trophies during an attempted brazilian invasion in 1827. According to tradition, the two flags belonged to the famous corvette Itaparica.
The image of the patron saint of the city carved in wood is also kept here. This image was created in the 18th. century and is the oldest in southern Argentina.
Another recommended visit is to the Museo Histórico Regional “Francisco de Viedma”. It was founded on the 14th. of July of 1951 and has more than 7900 pieces that summarize the historical richness of the city.
In the vicinity of Carmen de Patagones you find the Cerro de la Caballada. In this area the combats between the national defenders and the brazilian invaders took place in 1827.
A monument was erected in this place, one hundred years later as a reminder of the action. It was also declared a national historical site in 1961.
Today it is one of the best lookout points of the region, since from there you can appreciate the river, the two bridges, the islands and the two cities.