CATAMARCA

also called San Fernando Del Valle De Catamarca city, capital of Catamarca province, northwestern Argentina, on the Ro del Valle de Catamarca, a river between the two south-pointing spurs of the Andean sierras of Ambato and Ancasti. Originally named Londres, it was founded by the explorer Juan Prez de Zurita (1559) in the Valle de Quinmivil. Following various moves due to hostile Indians, Catamarca was established in 1694 on its present site (a sheltered, fertile valley) by the provincial governor, Bartolom de Castro. The economy is basically agricultural and includes the production and processing of grapes, alfalfa, cotton, cereals, hides, and meat. Tourism has increased because of a mild winter climate, outstanding scenery, and hot springs in the nearby sierras. The city is known for its handwoven woolen ponchos. Several colonial buildings survive, including the Church of the Virgin of the Valley (1694; a pilgrimage centre declared a national monument in 1941) and a Franciscan convent (1694). The city has an art gallery and a museum of fine arts. Pop. (1980 prelim.) 77,931. province, northwestern Argentina, separated from Chile by the cordillera of the Andes. The province, with an area of 38,540 sq mi (99,818 sq km), is generally mountainous with intermontane tablelands and valleys (some fertile, others completely arid). The sandy desert on the west side of the Sierra del Aconquija is referred to as the Argentine Sahara. The region constituted part of the Inca Empire after the 12th century, and pottery relics are still found. Spaniards, who settled the area in the 16th century, were subjects of the viceroyalty of Peru. For many years after liberation from Spain (1816), the caudillos (military strong men) of the Catamarca region and their gaucho armies resisted the Buenos Aires government. Wealthy landowners continued to have an independent spirit, and in 1946 Pres. Juan Pern, to suppress local criticism, deposed the provincial governor and installed a nominee of his own. In 1943, when the northern national territory of Los Andes was divided, the department of Antofagasta de la Sierra was incorporated into Catamarca. Scarcity of water has hindered agricultural development; irrigation, supporting mainly alfalfa, vineyards, olive and walnut groves, and cattle, provides only a partial remedy. Tungsten and mica are mined. The province's virtual isolation accounts for a retention of traditions and has encouraged tourism. The provincial capital, Catamarca (q.v.), has rail and bus transportation facilities. Pop. (1983 est.) 221,000.