Mendoza

Mendoza is the capital city of Mendoza Province, in Argentina. It is located in the northern-central part of the province, in a region of foothills and high plains, on the eastern side of the Andes.

A major road between Argentina and Chile runs through Mendoza and the city is a frequent stopover for climbers on their way to climb Aconcagua or for other mountaineering, hiking, horseback riding, rafting, and other sports. In the winter, skiers come to the city for its easy access to the Andes.

Mendoza has wet summers with drier winters. Average temperatures for January (summer) are 32 °C (90 °F) during daytime, and 18.4 °C (65 °F) at night. For July (winter), the average temperatures are 14.7 °C (58 °F) and 2.4 °C (36 °F), respectively. Despite the intensity of agriculture possible due to irrigation from major rivers, Mendoza is classified as semi-desert. Annual rainfall is 223.2mm.

The festival of the Vendimia represents the grape harvest in early March each year, where 17 beauty queens from each provincial district are nominated, and one winner is selected by a panel of about 50 judges. The queen from Mendoza City cannot be chosen because she acts as host for all other queens.

Mendoza has an intense cultural activity. There are several museums, including a natural history museum called Museo Cornelio Moyano in General San Martín Park and a Historical Foundational Area Museum called Museo del Área Fundacional located in the Pedro del Castillo Square. In Maipú, 15 km southeast from Mendoza, there is the Museo Nacional del Vino (National Wine Museum), which focuses on the history of winemaking in the area. In Mayor Drummond, 14 km south from Mendoza, there is the Emiliano Guiñazú - Casa de Fader art museum, hosted in an 1890 mansion where many walls have paintings by the artist Fernando Fader.

The city is centered around Independence Square (Plaza Independencia) with pedestrianized Sarmiento street running through its center. Other major streets, running perpendicular to Sarmiento, are 9 de Julio St., San Martín Avenue, and running parallel to Sarmiento are avenues Colón, Arístides Villanueva and Las Heras. Four additional plazas, San Martín, Chile, Italia, and España, are located 2 blocks off each corner of Independence Square. Unique to Mendoza's streets are the exposed stone ditches (small canals) which run alongside many of the roads supplying water to the many trees that provide welcome shade.

The Parque San Martín was designed by Carlos Thays. On its premises you can find a zoo, football stadiums, and the Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. A view of the city is available from the top of the hill Cerro de la Gloria.

There are many Internet cafes and other establishments that offer wi-fi technology. Restaurants and wine bars on Arístides Villanueva Avenue become very active day and night during weekends and various types of accommodations are available including luxurious five star Park Hyatt Mendoza, facing Plaza Independencia and the soon to be finished Sheraton Hotel.