Сан-Мартин-де-лос-Андес: История, геология и туристический центр Патагонии.

San Martín de los Andes is a city in the south west of the , serving as the administration centre of the Lácar Department. Lying at the foot of the Andes, on the Lácar lake, it is considered one of the main tourism destinations in the province. In the 1880s the Argentine Army displaced indigenous communities, disrupting this trade and forcing leather merchants in Chile to cross the Andes themselves for supplies. This way numerous entrepreneurs from Chile, many with a German background, established cattle and trade businesses in the area of Lácar and Nahuel Huapi lakes. Following the founding, the main economic activities were wood logging and husbandry. A major change in settlement life came when Lanín National Park was created in 1937. This meant that logging was gradually reduced and numerous small settlements along the lake shore disappeared. New roads were built effectively connecting San Martín with the rest of Argentina. This led to increased trade that almost ended local husbandry and agriculture.

The city lies in an area of varied geology. Rocks in the area include metamorphic, plutonic and volcanic rocks. Metamorphic rocks found are schists, gneisses and migmatites, all of whom have sedimentary protoliths. Deposition of sediments occurred no earlier than in the Cambrian period and metamorphism occurred during the Devonian period as part of the Famatinian orogeny. Plutonic rocks around San Martín de los Andes crystallized from magma in the Devonian in connection to the onset of the Gondwanide orogeny. Plutonic rock types in the area are granodiorites, tonalites and less voluminous gabbros. The higher parts of Cerro Chapelco are made up of basaltic and andesitic lavas of Chapelco Formation which overlies Huitre Formation. These lavas erupted and cooled into rock about 4 million years ago in the Pliocene Epoch.

As of the 2010 census there were 35,787 inhabitants in town, making it one of the most populous in the province of Neuquén. San Martín de los Andes has experienced a population growth of 34,29% since the census of 2001, when 23,519 lived in the area. By the time of the 1991 census, the city contained 15,711 residents. Previous censuses showed a total of 10,262 (1980) and 6,465 (1970) inhabitants, respectively. Since its foundation as a military outpost, immigrants from different parts of Europe, including Spaniards, Italians, Germans, Dutch people and French, as well as Syrian Lebanese store owners and settlers from neighboring Chile integrated with the local population, making it ethnically diverse from its beginnings.

San Martín de los Andes is considered one of the main tourist destinations in the Neuquén province in both summer and winter. Not far from the town centre, the surrounding environment offers the possibility to practise outdoor activities such as hiking, mountain trekking and rafting. Serving as the seat of the administration headquarters of the Lanín National Park, the city is the gateway to several tourist destinations in the southern Neuquén province, including the Lanín and Nahuel Huapi national parks, and Cerro Chapelco. Tourism became the priority for the region after the opening of the Lanín National Park in 1937, displacing husbandry and wood logging, which did not correspond with it. Though considerably reduced, the wood logging industry remained as a minor activity through the years, creating local jobs. San Martín de los Andes hosts a series of regular events. Every year the National Mountainman Festival and the Trabún Festival are celebrated, both related to the local culture. The South American Bird Fair, the main birding meeting on the continent, takes place in the town.

San Martín de los Andes was modeled like a mountain village built with traditional materials for the region, such as stone, wood and shingle roofs. Buildings belonging to the early 20th century include the First Post Office (1899), the Old Lácar Hotel (1910), the Primeros Pobladores Museum building (1911), the old fashioned Chidiak general store (1938) and houses of the pioneer families. The creation of the Lanín National Park and the restriction of use of wood from the protected territory was restricted, bringing a second period of architectural style, where the two storey houses were introduced. Some of the buildings from this period include the first aid centre (1942), the Lanín National Park administration building (1946) the first school of the village (1948), and the town hall (1960). Provincial Route 19 connects the city with popular tourist destination Cerro Chapelco. Additionally, Provincial Route 62 ends in the city. Situated near the border, there are different options to cross into Chile, including the Hua Hum Pass (through Provincial Route 48), Carirriñe Pass and Mamuil Malal Pass (both via Junín de los Andes to the north) and the Cardenal Antonio Samoré Pass (via Villa La Angostura to the south). Hua Hum international pass, which leads to Panguipulli in Chile, lies from San Martín de los Andes. Once the border is crossed into Chile, a ferry across Lake Pirihueico enables travelers to cover the distance from Puerto Pirihueico to Puerto Fuy, as there are no roads in this area. Public transportation includes a bus network. There are lines connecting the city with the nearby attractions and villages. The city has a bus terminal with both long and medium distance services, connecting it with a large variety of points in Argentina as well as with neighboring Chile. The town is served by the Aviador Carlos Campos Airport, which is away from the centre and is considered the main airport in southern Neuquén province.

Its natural conditions for outdoor sports and year round activities make the area attractive for tourists. During summer it is possible to go mountain biking, fishing and horseback riding, among other things. During winter, the nearby Cerro Chapelco is a renowned ski centre in Argentina and South America, where a variety of winter sports like skiing and snowboarding are practised. The area has hosted different sports events of national and international level, such as the San Martín de los Andes marathons and Snowboardcross competitions of the FIS Snowboard World Cup. Athletic Curruhinca, an amateur soccer team made up of players from San Martin de los Andes, won the title "Copa Cablevision" in 2013, becoming the first amateur soccer champion in the capital of Buenos Aires originally coming from this city.