Centro Civico San Carlos de Bariloche

Perito Moreno y Patagonia
100 years on.

Moreno Monument Bariloche

Dates: 2000 December-January
Organizers: CAPat with the Centro Cultural Borges,the national newspaper La Nación, and the co-operation of the National Parks Administration

Principal Sponsors: Lineas Aereas Privadas Argentinas and Hotel Edelweiss

Editors: Germán Sopeña and Robin Willson
Co-editor: María Pía Moreira with Ignacio Giorgio, Mariela Stauder, Augusto Monroy and Silvina Fachenza

CAPat, The Centro Cultural Borges and La Nacion were delighted to be invited by the National Parks Administation to present the Perito Moreno exhibition in San Carlos de Bariloche on the shores of beautiful Lago Nahuel Huapi.

Moreno loved the lake. He was the first non-indigenous person to reach the lake from the Atlantic coast. He is buried on an island in it.

The fact that the exhibition was held in the town centre near to the Museo de Patagonia de Bariloche was an added pleasure. The museum has a fine exhibition of Moreno´s life. The archives contain many interesting documents relating to his work.

Lago Nahuel Huapi 100 years ago.

Thanks to the director Cecilia Girgente and the designer Claudio Tam Muro, CAPat was privileged to be given access to these archives. This was an exciting experience. Many documents relating to Moreno´s links with Britain were found. Thanks to the provision of a digital camera by the Magic Penny Trust, many of these documents were photographed with very little exposure to light.

Of particular interest was correspondence from Sir Clements Markham, President of the Royal Geographical Society, in London, and from William Bruce and others in connection with the 1902-1904 Royal Scottish Geographical Society expedition to the Antarctic.

Lagos Moreno and Nahuel Huapi (Hotel Llao Llao en centro)

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This exhibition woud not have been possible without the valuable help of the staff of the Museo de la Patagonia Bariloche (Cecilia Girgente and Claudio Tam Muro) and of the National Parks Administration. The organizers are also grateful to Ricardo Vallmitjan for his advice and to LAPA and Hotel Eidelweiss for their support.

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