El paisaje de Lagunas del Rosario (Mendoza, Argentina) como ruta cultural en el contexto de tierras secas no irrigadas

ESTEVES, MATIAS; BERNARD, ANDREW

Santa Fe, Nuevo México

Congreso; XIII Congreso Mundial sobre Patrimonio Arquitectónico de Tierra; 2022

Getty Conservation Institute, National Park Service, Vanishing Treasures Program y University of Pennsylvania, Stuart Weitzman School of Design

Located in the semi-arid zone of central-western Argentina at approximately 32° latitude S, the town of Lagunas del Rosario (LDR) (Mendoza, Argentina) is sustained by the indigenous descendants of the Huarpe people whose legacy of earthen-architectural response to ecological, social, and economic transformations exemplifies a reciprocal effect between nature and culture. This community was once dependent on river water with intensive practices of agriculture, but has experienced rapid adaptation in response to the loss of water resources when reallocated to its neighbor, the "Oasis" of the capital city of Mendoza, where viticulture is the dominant economic engine and water-intensive industry. Now a non-irrigated community, LDR has adapted both architecturally culturally to become a subsistence economy of artisans and goat farmers. Given the increasing water shortage and an uncertain economic future for the wine industry in the vicinity of Mendoza, LDR offers a cultural route to serve as an alternative economy. The objectives of this presentation are, first, to demonstrate the different strategies that the inhabitants implement to adapt to the territorial dynamics and the diverse material and intangible elements that make up the landscape through the evolution and earthen architecture, arrangement of spaces, and cultural adaptations to increasing water scarcity. Secondly, explore the landscape of LDR as a possible cultural route as a counter to the "Oasis" and winemaking, where historical and current aspects, material and intangible are combined. This route could be used both for tourism and for the population of Mendoza as a source of information and education to understand the fragility of dryland ecosystems and the importance of managing and valuing water resources. Sharing many geographic, climatic, historical, and cultural parallels with northern Mexico and the southwestern United States, this research offers a relevant case study for dryland areas in North America.