Jaramillo

Jaramillo is in the Deseado department in north-eastern Santa Cruz, 189 metres above sea level on the Patagonian plateau. It lies on National Route 281, 7 km from Route 3 and 120 km from Puerto Deseado. It shares a local council with Fitz Roy: together the two have 807 residents (2022 census). It was named after the area’s first rural settlers, Martín and Fermín Jaramillo; another version credits Sergeant Gregorio Jaramillo, of Belgrano’s army.

Climate

Harsh and cold: an annual mean of 6 °C, with a record high of 28 °C and a record low of −25 °C.

History

It began as a station on the Patagonian Railway, on the Puerto Deseado to Las Heras line opened in 1914, which was originally meant to reach Nahuel Huapi. A presidential decree created the town in 1921. It prospered while the train ran, until the line closed in 1978; it then slowly emptied into a hamlet, which carried on as a traditional gathering place for gauchos.

Distances: 120 km from Puerto Deseado · National Route 281, 7 km from Route 3