Chilecito
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Chilecito is the second most important city in the Argentine province of La Rioja, and head of the department of Chilecito.
It's located in the valley formed by the Sierras de Velazco to the east, and the Sierras de Famatina to the west. The city was founded in 1715 by Spanish colonizators. From its mining past that saw its zenith at the end of the 19th century, the city conserves the cable-cart of the La Mejicana mine.
Chilecito is surrounded by an oasis of irrigation, which has expanded by way of supplements from underground waters. The majority of agricultural land is used for the cultivation of vineyards, while the most significant industrial activity is based in wine-cellars. Walnut and fruit trees are also cultivated, and their product is locally processed.
At the end of the 1990s the local faculty dependent of the Universidad Nacional de La Rioja became the Universidad Nacional de Chilecito, a measure harshly criticized by different academic and political sectors, especially considering that the ruling president Carlos Menem was born in that province.
[edit] Population
Chilecito has 29,453 inhabitants (2001 census [INDEC]), who represent a 31% population increase in ten years (there were 22,485 inhabitants in 1991). These numbers include the nearby localities of Anguinán, Los Sarmientos, San Miguel and La Puntilla. Without them, the population of Chilecito was 25,423 inhabitants in 2001.
