Villa Mercedes, San Luis
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Villa Mercedes is a city in the province of San Luis, Argentina. It has 96,781 inhabitants as per the 2001 census [INDEC]. It lies on the center-east of the province, on the left-hand banks of the Quinto River, 32 km from the border with Córdoba, on National Route 148, and near the intersection of National Routes 8 and 7. National Route 7 links the city to the provincial capital San Luis, 90 km to the north-west.
The city was founded c. 1 December 1856 as a mixed civilian-military settlement, to protect the territory against attacks by the Ranquel aboriginal tribes. The original name, Fuerte Constitucional, was changed in 1861 to Villa Mercedes by decission of the residents, who had adopted the Virgin of Mercy (Virgen de las Mercedes) as their patron.
Villa Mercedes grew quickly, especially since 1875, when the rail station was established 4 km north of the town, as an expansion of the railway of the Central Oeste Argentino company that joined Rosario to Córdoba. The Ferrocarril Andino, which came later, passed by Villa Mercedes along its route from Buenos Aires to Mendoza. The trains, intended to bring the products of the Cuyo region to the central provinces, also brought many immigrants to the area.
Villa Mercedes was officially declared a city in 1896. It is now the second largest in San Luis, and an industrial and educational center, hosting a branch of the National University of San Luis.
[edit] References
- Municipal information — Municipal Affairs Federal Institute (IFAM), Municipal Affairs Secretariat, Ministry of Interior, Argentina.
- (Spanish) Municipality of Villa Mercedes (official website).
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