Cuyo
Cuyo
Cuyo was an old administrative region of the Spanish colonies in South America, founded during sixteenth century. At that time the region was inhabited by indigenous pampas (or huarpes). When the Spanish Crown created the viceroyalty of the River Plate in 1776, Cuyo was no longer under the administrative control of Santiago de Chile, and became part of this new political-administrative entity whose capital was Buenos Aires. During the war of independence, this region was the base of operations of the Army of the Andes. In the early twenty-first century, Cuyo is a geographic region of western Argentina that covers part of the Andes mountain range. Its main feature is the Andes mountain range—the mountains and their foothills—and it straddles the provinces of Mendoza, San Juan, La Rioja, part of San Luis, and part of Neuquén. Excellent fine wines are among the chief products of this region. Other important products are olives, fruits, and vegetables. Tourism is a key activity. There are still small indigenous communities in the region.
See alsoArgentina, Geography .
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Borgononi, Mario. Geografia Argentina. Buenos Aires: Editorial Stella, 2002.
Vicente Palermo