Flora of Aconcagua Park
This park is located within the Altoandina Phytogeographic Province, which in this region is known as “Cuyana high Andean flora”.
The species that live in this area have adapted very well to cold, dryness and strong winds.
It grows stunted, creeping on sheltered slopes. In the heights it is low, scattered and steppe. At a lower altitude you can see some woody plants such as the goat’s horn that grows up to a meter in height.
The vital cycles of the plants are such that they make the most of the snow-free sunny and hot season between October and April. The Wildlife of the Park
The Birds: The height and the rigorous climate make the fauna especially adapted to its rigors: the condor flies over the valleys looking for food. There are also the gray sleeper, the Andean comosebo, the plumbeous yal, the collared snipe, the Andean pigeon and the Andean hummingbird.
Among the mammals we have the Andean mouse and mouse, the chinchilla and the chinchilla rat. Cultural Resources in the Aconcagua expeditions
Original towns
The human population of this region dates back to about 10,000 years ago. They were hunters and gatherers, who used arrows and stone axes.
In times prior to the arrival of the Spanish, the area was populated by the descendants of these paleoindians: the huarpes. The Huarpes were farmers who used artificial irrigation to grow pumpkins, peppers, corn and peppers. They settled in the valleys of the Cuyo region.
Around 1430, the Inca empire extended from the Altiplano to the south, occupying northwestern Argentina and the Cuyo region.
The southern limit of the Inca empire was located in what is today the area of the Mendoza river valley. The Incas established their domination over the local ethnic groups and built their Inca Trail (UNESCO World Heritage Site).
Inca Trail in Aconcagua
The branches of the Inca Trail coming from the province of San Juan converged at the place of Tambillos in Mendoza (32 km north of Uspallata) it was a post on the road. Upon reaching Uspallata, it turned westward up the Mendoza River passing through the current ruins of Ranchillos and Tambillitos (Inca posts or “tambos”).
In the high mountain area, in the Aconcagua Climb Provincial Park, a section of the Inca Trail is preserved. That crossed over the “Puente del Inca”, a natural arch that crosses the Las Cuevas River to cross the mountain range and enter what is now Chile.