Puerto Pirámides and the “Administradora” of Península Valdés


Puerto Piramides is the urban center of Peninsula Valdes Reserved Area.. The peninsula, praised for its flora and fauna, was declared in 1994 as a whale sanctuary by the International Whale Commission, and more recently it was declared World Heritage Site by UNESCO. As a result, the Peninsula has developed tourist activities including whale watching and observing other marine mammals.

The majority of the peninsula territory and park is private. Nearly all tourists stop in Puerto Piramides to embark on whale watching excursions and other aquatic adventures, to eat or visit the beach, and to buy souvenirs.

As the only town in Peninsula Valdes, the construction of large buildings and other infrastructure along the coast will have a devastating impact on the ecosystem in the present and near future.

Fortunately, civil society groups have had an active role in bringing attention to the town’s development and its impact. They advocate for balance between the environmental and social changes in the area.

Even though the town is small and the infrastructure is limited, this does not eliminate the risk of negatively impacting the environment because of the abundance of tourists that flock to Puerto Piramides in large numbers during high season.

The town itself and Peninsula Valdes are impacted not only by the town’s activities and but also the surrounding Patagonia region as well.

As a result of the demand and arrival of tourists, the town of Puerto Piramides faces issues and concerns regarding the care and treatment of solid and liquid residues, the use of resources and services such as water and electricity, and the poor management of trash collection and removal.

Furthermore, the economic activities of the region, such as the fishing factories and aluminum factory in Puerto Madryn, also heavily challenge the environment. For example, the entire region is confronted by the management and relocation of the municipal landfill, determination of the capacity of the region’s Protected Areas, and collecting and processing of sea algae.

Consequently, these issues create large amounts of contamination and destroy the fragile ecosystems, like those in Peninsula Valdes. It is imperative that policies are drafted and enforced that will implement a plan to protect Peninsula Valdes and will work towards resolving many of these environmental issues.

While the population of Puerto Piramides experiences the firsthand effects of these challenges, the authorities and decision makers responsible to handle these issues and the future development of tourism represent many different interests up to the larger province of Chubut. As a result, their decisions and policies do not always adequately and effectively favor the interests of the inhabitants and environment of Peninsula Valdes.
In 2001, the Administration of the Protected Natural Area of Peninsula Valdes was established, but they were unable to provide or implement a sufficient solution. The administration was made up of three independent braches: the Assembly, the Executive Branch, and the Technical Advisory Board.

Among the branches, the Executive branch possesses the administration and management powers as well as manages the board of directors. Four members represent the branch. They represent respectively the Provincial Department of Tourism, the rural landowners within the protected area of Peninsula Valdes, the urban landowners of Puerto Piramides, and a representative of the Assembly. The representative of the Provincial State serves as the President of the Executive Branch and the Administration’s official office is based in Puerto Madryn. Furthermore, it was established that 50% of the total funds collected by the Administration for Peninsula Valdez admission fees is redistributed to the other protected areas of Chubut.

The lack of majority representation of inhabitants of Puerto Piramides in the Administration impedes them to play the appropriate and adequate role in the management of their own land and natural resources.

Nevertheless, it should be recognized how the inhabitants of Puerto Piramides are truly invested in the future of their land and the environment. As a result, they bring hope for the future and the dedication to find an appropriate solution to the challenges they face. The local government and local inhabitants work together to remedy these challenges and conserve their natural resources for future generations.

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Mapuche Cultural Tourism, Provincia de Rio Negro

In the territory of the East, Fey Puel Mapu, where the Sun rises, Antv, lives the great Mapuche people. We are a society millennia old that have a Cosmo vision, and language with ceremonies, cultures, art, education, health, ancestral authorities, a territory, lifestyle and its particular organization that develops as a nation in a free manner, independent and sovereign in the great part of the territories known today as the Argentine or Chilean Federal States, being the only original people of America that were able to resist the invasion of the Spanish crown between the 16th and into the 19th centuries.

At the beginning of the 20th century with the subsequent bellicose invasions in our Mapuche territory, the states of Argentina and Chile along with various European nations arranged a new colonist political system for these geographic zones, mainly in the South, that specifically brought the thousands of colonist mostly from Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Holland, and Spain among others who occupied great expanses of the Mapuche territory with gratuitous titles.

Today the major part of these territories are actually in the possession of large economic corporations such as the industries of lumber, fisheries, mining, petroleum, hydroelectricity of landed estates of the descendents of European colonist as post to administer the enormous transnational companies.

The Mapuche Nation in this just fight for the recovery of our territories and dignity as well as exercising of our fundamental rights in the politics, civil and social are victim of the constant and systematic violation of human rights, specifically in the incarceration of the promoters of such actions.

-Why Mapuche cultural tourism?

We know well what has been transmitted from generation to generation to us, what our ancestors knew. They knew the knowledge of millennia that in our territory there exist distinct territorial identities that compose our original Mapuche Nation. This means that we have the way to see the life of the natural environment. Of course, we speak of the development of sustainable and cultural tourism and of this we say that in our territory we can enjoy the great natural diversities.

-To who do we offer this?

We want to offer this to all of the people of the world, responsible to protect, to care, to preserve and to respect our place.

-Where are we?

We are today in the province of Rio Negro, Patagonia, Argentina, which we call "Puel Mapu - territory of the East - where the sun rises – Antv”, in the different regions there is Adina, Alto Valle, Altántica and Líneas Sur, but in this service we tour 2 regions: the Andina and Líneas Sur. Here we have lived since the beginning of the 20th century on after being pushed out of our original ancestral territory, which today is known as the Province of Buenos Aires, by cruel War of the Desert promoted by the genocides of Juan Manuel de Rosa, Mitre, Villegas, Julio Argentino Roca and Francisco Pascario Moreno. In each community that we reestablish we have our own form of functioning, some have almost totally lost the way of being Mapuche, few speak the language, few practice the ceremonies but the community spirit forever exist, form the way to work to the way to think. Although, also, like each in community’s name (Pu Lofce) they have their own meaning in our language which you can know when you visit and know these communities: El Manso, Newenche, Wangelen, Puelo, El Maiten, Huauel Nieyeco-Ing, Jocobacci and Fvta Anekon.

-What does it mean to be Mapuche?

To be Mapuche does not just mean to have a Mapuche surname, nor does it mean to be people of this Earth, it means to be the son of the natural environment - Mapu - it is the air, wind, rain, snow, rivers, lakes, the sea, rocks, mountains, plants, animals, clouds, the skies, stars, tangible and intangible resources, waters and Che are we the human beings formed of all of the natural forces. If these forces did not exist we would not exist, for that we have 4 elemental things:Tuwvn- precedence and ascendance; Kvpalme- the origin of our family and of our being; Kempen- the sacred song of our lineage; Tayiel- the sacred song of each of us. We know from where we came, why we are here and where we are going. Mapuche!

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Villa Pehuenia and Mapuche Tourism
The Ski Centre Volcan Batea Mahuida
The Campground of Huechulafquen

The history of the creation of the Villa Pehuenia district was largely altered by an exchange of land around the lake Alumine for other land close to the city of Neuquen. This has created a strong conflict within the Mapuche community, dividing it practically in two, one side in favor and the other against. The conflict has its roots in the plans of tourist development in the province of Neuquen. The land “exchanged” by the community has been divided into lots and each one has been used to construct hotels and tourist services.

The tourist projects in which the Mapuche community participates are the Volcan Batea Mahuida Ski Centre and other small family-run projects. The ski centre began in July 2000, and is part of a larger investment plan by the province of Neuquen. The ski project includes ski-lifts and a small restaurant. The area was placed under Mapuche Puel control with the help of the “Commission of Fomento” of Villa Pehuenia. The centre is a classic example of a project built “from above”, as the community has only received the final product instead of playing an active role in the development and construction process. Nevertheless the project has been very popular due to the fact that it is run by an indigenous community. The ski center’s web page can be visited at www.interpatagonia.com/bateamauida and the project is also recommended in many English web sites.

Another completely distinct project can be found in the Angostura area, situated in the southern part of Lake Alumine. Here, visitors sleep in a campground and are guided by locals from the Puel Community. The department of tourism of the University of Neuquen, directed by Juan Nathaine, has aided the community greatly over the years by providing volunteer work. The project unites groups of young people, supported and guided by their families. During the summer months, when the area experiences an influx of tourists, the groups organize guided itineraries throughout the zone. Recently, they have begun constructing new camping facilities such as bathrooms and fire pits to better accommodate tourists. It is here that we visit and spend two days with the community. The money spent here goes directly to the community.

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Group of Studies and Multicultural Actions (G.E.A.M.)
University FASTA of Bariloche

The GEAM is an interdisciplinary group that investigates multicultural matters. It was created in 1997 and since 1999 it has had an agreement with the FASTA University. The coordinator of this group and also its founder, is Valentina Farias. Other members of the group include Ana Albornoz and Graciela Montero. The GEAM works in the area of transcultural psychiatry and it studies the inter-relationship between different ethnic groups sharing the same land.

In the context of interdisciplinary studies they have developed an area called “Anthropologic Tourism”, sponsored by the Association of Friends of the Museum of Patagonia. Together they organize a program of two to five days, describing the history of the first people of the region and their interaction with the environment. The experience includes a tour of places of interest like Cerro Ventana, Gutierrez Lake, Divisoria de Aguas, Mascardi Lake, and Manso River and provides historical information.

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