"Professor Manuel Tellechea" Museum of Mineralogy

General San Martín Park Regional Center for Scientific and Technical Research Work
Tel. 0261-4288314

The scientific importance of this museum has been acknowledged internationally because of its magnificent collections of minerals, precious stones, rocks and fossils. Manuel Tellechea was born in Catamarca and in 1885 decided to direct his efforts to mineralogy. In 1918, he began to collect the material that now forms part of the wealth of his museum which was created in 1935. He carried out field work and studied the minerals that could be of economic value for the province of Mendoza, such as bentonite, zeolite, lime, monazite and uranium. This collection comprises over 14,000 pieces. There are also more than 2,500 specialized publications available for consultation. Worthy of mentioning amongst its most important stones are a transparent anhydrite (chalcedony with water in its formation) and a metal uranium disk made by Atomic Energy. All the material has been computer-classified and there are some pieces that are still being a analyzed.

Mendoza
The city of Mendoza is the capital of the Province of Mendoza and lies 747 m. above sea level and 1,099 km. away from the city of Buenos Aires along national route No.7. Mendoza was founded by Pedro del Castillo in 1561 but was destroyed by an earthquake on 20 March, 1861. The city lies at the foot of the mountain range flanking the Andes and has over 800,000 inhabitants. It is a neat modern city with a large number of drainage ditches and green areas. Its streets witnessed the exploits of our national hero San Martín during his campaigns to liberate Argentina, Chile and Peru. The province is the main wine producing center in America endowed with wonderful environmental conditions for the production of wine. Amongst the sites worth visiting are the Basilica of St. Francis that harbors numerous documents related to San Martín's campaign; the ruins of the Temple of St. Francis; the Government House that preserves the flag of the Andes Army, the Arts and Crafts Market, the Alameda (public walk lined with poplar trees), the "Mirador" (natural scenic viewpoint) terrace, the Civic Center and the San Martín Park.