Estancias of Argentine Patagonia

Click on estancia name to go to information on that estancia

Until the mid-1800's the Argentine Patagonia was almost uninhabited, with settlements located primarily along the coast. But in the late 1800's the first sheep arrived from the Falklands and a whole industry was born. Large wool companies established huge estancias, and all the facilities for wool producing started to be built - always near a water source. Fences, barns and houses started to rise in the midst of the desolate vastness. Rows of poplar trees and willows were planted and houses were built in their shelter.

In a few years ownership was concentrated in a few families and "white gold" fueled the development of the area. Pioneers, adventurers and wanderers from around the world came to the Argentine Patagonia to try their luck but the big wool companies often simply took any lands that looked interesting and the pioneers went even further west looking for lands that drew no attention and that no-one else imagined valuable.

Around 1920 all of vastness had been claimed and the estancias, often huge, were settled in and the way and kind of production has not changed much since then. The cost of wool went up and down over the years but estancias stayed profitable. The Second World War brought the final increase in wool prices. The gradual advent of artificial textile fibers and the fierce competition from other wool producing areas, saw the beginning of the decline of wool prices, and with it the profitability of estancias. Because of overloading of sheep and poor soil, more and more area was needed to sustain one head of sheep, and so more space was needed, and with more space came the need for more fence, more gauchos, more vehicles and the subsequent cost of production went up and profits feel further.

Today many estancias have been abandoned, and many others have turned to tourism to supplement the estancia income.

But it is not the demands of tourism that created hospitality in Patagonia. Because of its vastness and its desolateness, estancias were always a haven to travelers. The stands of poplars and willows announced the location of a estancia and make it visible for many miles. Arriving to an estancia is heralded by the shifting of herds of sheep away from the road, the drawing closer of the trees, and the ability to finally see the house that was announced miles away by the poplars. A stay at an estancia means a traditional country meal, a chance to see how an estancia operates and to learn the history of the estancia and to enjoy activities such as horseback riding.

A stay also means a variety of local activities, such as hiking, horse back riding, mountain biking, motorlaunch excursions, birdwatching, all dependent upon the estancia and their location.  In certain instances an estancia may be the only place to stay to explore a national park.