| Laguna de los Padres | |
|---|---|
| Laguna de los Padres from the north | |
| Location | Province of Buenos Aires |
| Basin countries | Argentina |
Laguna de los Padres is a small lake located about 8 miles west of Mar del Plata, Argentina and roughly 2 from Sierra de los Padres' hills. It has a length of 6,884 feet and a width of 5,670. Its water is shallow and the aquatic flora (algae, rushes and another species like the gambarussa) overpopulates the muddy bottom. Woods of eucalyptus and laurel surround the adjacent area, as well as some aboriginal shrub, like the curro. Sport fishing is the main recreational activity, and there is a wharf for row boats. The lake also hosted rowing events during the 1995 Pan American Games. Near the main entrance there is a reconstruction of the ancient Jesuit Mision of Nuestra Señora del Pilar, founded in 1746 and abandoned under native tribes' pressure five years later. Indeed, the name of the lake as well as of the hills nearby has its origins in the Jesuit Fathers (Padres) attempting to evangelize the region. The lake was known as Laguna de las Cabrillas (Lake of the goats) in the Spanish maps of that time. Close to the place there is a farmhouse, now a Museum, where lived briefly during his childhood José Hernández, author of the gaucho's national poem Martin Fierro.