The red sandstone ground from Villa El Chocón and the banks of Ezequiel Ramos Mejía dam are rich in fossils, reason why this community is called “Valley of the dinosaurs”. One of the most important discoveries in the area is that of the fossil remains of The Giganotosaurus carolinnii, the world’s largest carnivore, which was found in 1993 by Rubén Carolinii, a palaeontology fan. Moreover, there are remains of minor dinosaurs, 10 feet long tracks, and a petrified forest, all discovered by Carolini as well. This heritage is currently protected by scientists and researchers, who have worked on the preservation and reproduction of the fossils, most of which are on display in the Municipal Palaeontological Museum “Ernesto Bachman”.
The energy of a Village
This town was created with the construction of a hydroelectric dam on Limay River, which generated a damming with a surface of 510 feet. The urban sketch was built by Hidronor S.A. approximately twenty five years ago, and its building took major investments on material and technology. The building of this giant construction brought significant changes in the regional physiognomy, and important discoveries took place in its surroundings, since they discovered an area rich in fossils, petrified trees, remains and tracks of dinosaurs, all of which constitute the most important attraction in town. It took a careful architectonic planning to create the village, along with an intensive forestation of streets and landscaping of public places, which generated a microclimate and a very pleasant urban landscape. Nowadays, it has approximately 2,000 inhabitants.
El Chocón Hydroelectric Dam
Its main economic activity is the generation and transportation of energy produced by the hydroelectric power station, with its 1,200 Kw. Since 1994, it is franchised to a private Chilean-American partnership that will run it for 30 years.
The design for Villa El Chocón was made by architects Antonini, Schon and Zemborain, and it was carried out in ninety days, in the year 1968. It consists of a civic activities centre, composed by buildings connected by streets and squares, and an urban pedestrian scheme that joins it with the houses situated on terraces overlooking the dam. (Abriged history of Argentine Architecture – Jorge Glusberg)
Land of Dinosaurs
Giganotosaurus Carolinii in the Ernesto Bachmann Palaeontological Museum.
In Villa El Chocón and its outskirts, there are signs of prehistory on every corner of the territory. Examples of this are the tracks or ignites of herbivore and carnivore dinosaurs that are 97 million years old. They were discovered on the banks of the lake, where a site museum preserves them so they can be interpreted by visitors. The valley of dinosaurs is a great attraction that nature offers you and your family to enjoy.
Things to do and places to visit
Villa El Chocón and Ezequiel Ramos Mexía damming are ideal places to practise water sports, since they offer visitors all the facilities to do so. There are also many different options to tour the village and visit its main attractions. One of them is the hydroelectric dam built on Limay River.
Cañadón Escondido (Hidden Canyon)
Another place worth visiting is the Cañadón Escondido, a 12.5-mile-long canyon, which is 266 feet in depth. It is constituted by layers or strata millions of years old, where you can admire vegetal fossils and dinosaur footprints from more than 150 million years ago. Emerging from Ezequiel Ramos Mejía Lake, you can see some huge rocks called “Los Gigantes” (The Giants), majestic formations that attract visitors for their singularity. You can also visit the Our Lady of El Chocón Church, and the Antenna Quarry.
It is located 802 miles away from Buenos Aires, and 51miles from Neuquén Capital City. It lies within the “Steppe of Dinosaurs” tourist area.
This city is known as the “Dinosaurs’ Valley”. You can visit the Ernesto Bachmann Palaeontological Museum, where the fossil remains of the biggest carnivore in the world, the Giganotosaurus Carolinii, are put on display.
It has camping sites, inns, cottages and two ATLs (Alternative Tourist Lodging).
In this area you can practise trekking and sport fishing, including spinning, fly fishing and trolling methods. There are bars, cafés, restaurants and tea houses, where you can relax and enjoy local cooking.