Morteros is a city and municipality in the San Justo Department in the north east of the Córdoba Province,

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

. The city of Morteros is one of the most important in the San Justo Department, it is near the intersection of two major highways RP 1 and RP 17 and near the

ferrocarril Central Argentino The Central Argentine Railway, referred to as CA below, (in Spanish: Ferrocarril Central Argentino) was one of the ''Big Four'' broad gauge, British companies that built and operated railway networks in Argentina. The company had been establish ...

. Morteros is around from the provincial capital Córdoba (280 by road) and from Santa Fe.

Geography

Morteros is around from the eastern shore of Mar Chiquita. The micro region around Morteros is an

ecotone An ecotone is a transitional area between two plant communities, where these meet and integrate. Examples include areas between grassland and forest, estuaries and lagoon, freshwater and sea water etc. An ecotone may be narrow or wide, and it ma ...

between the

Humid Pampa The Humid Pampas () is an extensive ecoregion of flat, fertile grassland of loessic origin in Argentina. It has a precipitation average of 900 mm per year, in contrast with the Dry Pampas to the west, which average less than 700 mm. Set ...

semi arid

Gran Chaco The Gran Chaco or simply Chaco is a sparsely populated, hot and semiarid lowland tropical dry broadleaf forest natural region of the Río de la Plata basin, divided among eastern Bolivia, western Paraguay, northern Argentina, and a portion o ...

region. The temperature varies between with an annual average of . The first frost can be expected on March 21 and the last on September 5. The average precipitation is per year. Local flora include the

chañar ''Geoffroea decorticans'', the chañar, kumbaru, or Chilean palo verde (green wood), is a small deciduous tree, up to 8 meters (25 ft) tall that inhabits most arid forests (montes or espinales) of southern South America. The chañar is cold ...

, tala, Quebracho, caranday and the yatay.

History

Before the arrival of the

conquistadores Conquistadors (, ) or conquistadores (; ; ) were Spanish Empire, Spanish and Portuguese Empire, Portuguese colonizers who explored, traded with and colonized parts of the Americas, Africa, Oceania and Asia during the Age of Discovery. Sailing ...

in the 16th Century the area was populated by ethnic Sanavirónes and

Mocoví The Mocoví ( Mocoví: ''moqoit'') are an Indigenous people of the Gran Chaco region of South America. They speak the Mocoví language and are one of the ethnic groups belonging to the Guaycuru peoples. In the 2010 Argentine census, 22,439 peop ...

es. In the 18th Century the Spanish established a fortress called ''Los Morteros'' on a rocky outcrop, the principal function of the fortress was to defend the local territory. It lay on an alternative route to the mining region of

Potosí Potosí, known as Villa Imperial de Potosí in the colonial period, is the capital city and a municipality of the Potosí Department, Department of Potosí in Bolivia. It is one of the list of highest cities in the world, highest cities in the wo ...

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

, it was used as a market for contraband such as slaves to work in the mines and silver. Fortress Los Morteros and the local area were recaptured by the indigenous population after the

May Revolution The May Revolution () was a week-long series of events that took place from 18 to 25 May 1810, in Buenos Aires, capital of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata. This Spanish colony included roughly the territories of present-day Argentina, ...

, although the Sanavirónes had been virtually extinguished, Mocovíes and Abipones moved into the area. The European Argentines launched a counter-offensive and reclaimed the territory in the middle of the century. The indigenous population suffered a great deal from the ethnic cleansing campaigns of the mid 19th century. In 1891 the first railway arrived in Morteros, the railway brought a large number of European immigrants from the Piamonte,

Friuli Friuli (; ; or ; ; ) is a historical region of northeast Italy. The region is marked by its separate regional and ethnic identity predominantly tied to the Friulians, who speak the Friulian language. It comprises the major part of the autono ...

and

Toscana Tuscany ( ; ) is a region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of 3,660,834 inhabitants as of 2025. The capital city is Florence. Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, artistic legacy, and its influence on high cu ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. In 1965 Morteros acquired its status as a city.

Economy

The economy of the area is dominated by agriculture, especially the production of maize and dairy products. In 1952 the town started the production of Aero Boero which were mainly used for crop spraying and as training aircraft. Other industrial production included the production of agricultural machinery and industrial refrigerators. In the 1990s the area saw a massive increase in the amount of soya,

alfalfa Alfalfa () (''Medicago sativa''), also called lucerne, is a perennial plant, perennial flowering plant in the legume family Fabaceae. It is cultivated as an important forage crop in many countries around the world. It is used for grazing, hay, ...

and

sorghum ''Sorghum bicolor'', commonly called sorghum () and also known as great millet, broomcorn, guinea corn, durra, imphee, jowar, or milo, is a species in the Poaceae, grass genus ''Sorghum (genus), Sorghum'' cultivated for its grain. The grain i ...

There is little tourism in the region aside from the visitors to the Mar Chiquita Lake (Laguna Mar Chiquita o Laguna Ansenuza).

Amenities

Morteros is home to a regional museum and the Instituto Universitario Aeronáutico (AeronauticalUniversity Institute). Local societies include the

gaucho A gaucho () or gaúcho () is a skilled horseman, reputed to be brave and unruly. The figure of the gaucho is a folk symbol of Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil, the southern part of Bolivia, and the south of Chilean Patago ...

Fortin Society, the Rural Society of Morteros and the sports clubs 9 de Julio de Morteros and Tiro Federal de Morteros. There is a cinema with 3D capability, a big casino and several educational establishments, among which is the college / institute Cristo Rey.

External links

*{{Commons category-inline, Morteros, Argentina
IFAM website
Populated places in Córdoba Province, Argentina Populated places established in 1891 1891 establishments in Argentina Cities in Argentina