Santa Cruz Province, Argentina

Lore & Background

The indigenous people of Santa Cruz are the Tehuelches, who retained independence until the late 19th century despite European exploration from the 16th century. The province is located in southern Patagonia, bordered by Chubut to the north, Chile to the west and south, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. It is Argentina’s second-largest province by land area, covering 243,943 square kilometers, yet it is the least densely populated on the mainland, with a 2022 census population of 337,226. The landscape includes the Atlantic coast, the Southern Patagonian Ice Field, and the Cueva de las Manos, a site of ochre-ink rock art created by the ancient Toldense people between 13,000 and 9,000 years ago. European contact began with Ferdinand Magellan’s arrival at San Julián Bay in 1520, followed by explorations by Martín de Alcazaba and later Charles Darwin in 1834. The region was organized as the Territory of Santa Cruz after the Conquest of the Desert in the 1870s, with its capital initially at Puerto Santa Cruz before moving to Río Gallegos in 1888. A gold rush in the late 19th and early 20th centuries attracted European immigrants, including Spanish, Germans, British, and Slavs, who came for the wool industry and to escape World War I. The province was created in 1957, and its history includes a violent 1922 strike by sheep ranch laborers, later depicted in the film *La Patagonia Rebelde*. Notable political figures from Santa Cruz include Néstor Kirchner, who served as mayor of Río Gallegos, governor, and later president of Argentina.

Reader's Guide

Santa Cruz Province is the second-largest province in Argentina by area, though it is the least densely populated on the mainland. Its indigenous inhabitants were the Tehuelche people, who maintained their independence from European colonizers until the late nineteenth century. The region was formally organized as the Territory of Santa Cruz following the Conquest of the Desert in the 1870s, with its original capital at Puerto Santa Cruz. The capital was later moved to Río Gallegos in 1888. A gold rush in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries attracted European immigrants, including Spanish, German, British, and Slavic groups, many of whom were fleeing the conflicts of World War I and were drawn by the wool industry. The outbreak of the war caused a sharp decline in exports, leading to a severe economic crisis. In 1922, workers striking against harsh conditions were violently repressed in events known as the Patagonia Trágica. The territory was granted provincial status in 1957. The province is also known for producing Néstor Kirchner, who served as mayor of Río Gallegos, governor of Santa Cruz, and later president of Argentina, overseeing a period of significant economic expansion. A long-standing border dispute with Chile over the Southern Patagonian Ice Field, partially addressed by a 1998 agreement, remains unresolved in the area between Mount Fitz Roy and Cerro Murallón.

Did You Know?

• Santa Cruz is the second-largest province of Argentina, after Buenos Aires Province.