Cushamen

Cushamen is a rural community in north-western Chubut, seat of the department of the same name, on provincial routes 4 and 35, 70 km from El Maitén. It has 961 residents (2022 census). According to Rodolfo Casamiquela the name means “broken” in Tehuelche; it has also been translated as “desert place” or “desolate place”. Much of the population are smallholders, many of Mapuche descent.

Things to do

• El Saltillo: 30 km away, a 70-metre waterfall on the Chico River, with space to camp among rocky scenery.
• Regional and Indigenous Museum: historical documents and craft pieces in rawhide, pottery, guanaco-skin cloaks and sheep’s-wool weaving.
• Crafts: local wool, braiding and pottery.
• Fishing and hunting, both big and small game.

Climate

Continental: a short, fairly hot summer, a very cold, snowy winter and westerly winds much of the year. Annual rainfall is about 150 mm and the mean temperature 8 °C. The vegetation is grass and shrub steppe.

Distances: 70 km from El Maitén · provincial routes 4 and 35