# Perito Moreno, Santa Cruz > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Perito_Moreno,_Santa_Cruz > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Perito_Moreno,_Santa_Cruz.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perito_Moreno%2C_Santa_Cruz > Source revision: 1353260177 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) **Perito Moreno** is a town in the northwest of [Santa Cruz Province](/source/Santa_Cruz_Province_(Argentina)), Argentina, 25 km east of [Lake Buenos Aires](/source/Lake_Buenos_Aires). It should not be confused with the [Perito Moreno National Park](/source/Perito_Moreno_National_Park) over 300 km south by road, or the [Perito Moreno Glacier](/source/Perito_Moreno_Glacier) near [El Calafate](/source/El_Calafate). The town is the capital of the [Lago Buenos Aires Department](/source/Lago_Buenos_Aires_Department). It lies on the RN43, a paved road which links [Caleta Olivia](/source/Caleta_Olivia) on the Atlantic coast to [Los Antiguos](/source/Los_Antiguos) and the [Chilean](/source/Chile) frontier 60 km west, and [Ruta 40](/source/Ruta_40), running north and south. The town is a centre of cattle ranches and smallholdings producing fruit and vegetables. Tourism is also an important industry. Perito Moreno is the closest town to [Cueva de las Manos](/source/Cueva_de_las_Manos), 170 km south by road, and Parque Laguna. In the 2022 census the town had a population of 7,812.[1] ## History The town was founded in 1910, as a rest stop for travellers by the springs which give rise to the [Rio Deseado](/source/Rio_Deseado). The place was called Pari-Aike (meaning "place of reeds") by the [Tehuelche](/source/Tehuelche_people), but the town was officially called Nacimiento in 1927. The name was changed in 1944 to Lago Buenos Aires, and in 1952 to Perito Moreno, after the explorer [Francisco Moreno](/source/Francisco_Moreno).[a][2] ## Geography The town is located the northwest of [Santa Cruz Province](/source/Santa_Cruz_Province_(Argentina)), 25 km east of [Lake Buenos Aires](/source/Lake_Buenos_Aires). ### Climate Perito Moreno has a [cold semi-arid climate](/source/Cold_semi-arid_climate) ([Köppen climate classification](/source/K%C3%B6ppen_climate_classification): **BSk**), bordering on a [cold desert climate](/source/Cold_desert_climate) ([Köppen climate classification](/source/K%C3%B6ppen_climate_classification): **BWk**). ## Buildings The town is home to the [Carlos J. Gradin Museum of Archaeology](/source/Carlos_J._Gradin_Museum_of_Archaeology), named after [Carlos J. Gradin](/source/Carlos_J._Gradin).[3][4][5][6][7] As of 2019, the building is still under construction.[8] ## Culture Perito Moreno is widely considered the archaeological capitol of Santa Cruz, largely due to how close it is to Cueva de las Manos.[9] Every year in February, the town celebrates a festival of Cueva de las Manos.[9][10][11] ## See also - [Perito Moreno Airport](/source/Perito_Moreno_Airport)—airport serving Perito Moreno, 7 kilometres (4 mi) northwest of the town ## References 1. Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos de la Republica Argentine, Census of 16 May 2022. 1. Moore, Jerry D. (2017). *Incidence of travel: recent journeys in ancient South America*. Boulder: [University Press of Colorado](/source/University_Press_of_Colorado). p. 95. [doi:10.5876/9781607326007](https://doi.org/10.5876/9781607326007). ISBN 978-1-60732-600-7. [JSTOR j.ctt1m3210q](https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt1m3210q). LCCN 2016053403. [OCLC 973325343](https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/973325343) 1. Onetto, María & Podestá, María Mercedes (2011). ["Cueva de las Manos: An Outstanding Example of a Rock Art Site in South America"](https://cuevadelasmanos.org/pdfs/Onetto%20Podesta.%202011%20Cueva%20de%20las%20Manos.%20An%20Outstanding%20Example%20of%20rock%20art....pdf). *Adoranten*. Scandinavian Society for Prehistoric Art. 1. Onetto, Maria (2014), ["Cueva de las Manos, Río Pinturas Cave Art"](https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-0465-2_1624), *Encyclopedia of Global Archaeology*, Smith, Claire (ed.), New York, NY: Springer, p. 1845, [doi:10.1007/978-1-4419-0465-2_1624](https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-0465-2_1624). ISBN 978-1-4419-0465-2, retrieved 2021-04-22 1. INAPL (2011). [*En tus manos... Cueva de las manos*](https://digital.lib.usf.edu/?k26.1328) (in Spanish). Grupo de Apoyo.[dead link] 1. ["Proyecto"](https://www.diputados.gob.ar/proyectos/proyectoTP.jsp?exp=6865-D-2016). *www.diputados.gob.ar*. Retrieved 2021-05-01. 1. ["Cueva de las Manos: un viaje para reencontrarse con los antiguos pobladores patagónicos"](https://fnartes.gob.ar/novedades/cueva-de-las-manos-un-viaje-para-reencontrarse-con-los-antiguos-pobladores-patagonicos) (in es-AR). *Fondo Nacional de las Artes*. Retrieved 2021-05-01. 1. Gutiérrez De Angelis, Marina; Winckler, Greta; Bruno, Paula; Guarini, Carmen (2019). ["Rethinking Paleolithic Visual Culture throughout immersive technology: The site "Cueva de las Manos" as a virtual "Denkraum" (Patagonia, Argentina)"](https://www.pismowidok.org/en/archive/2019/25-present-history/rethinking-paleolithic-visual-culture). *View. Theories and Practices of Visual Culture*. '***(25). Widok. Foundation for Visual Culture. [doi:10.36854/widok/2019.25.2081](https://doi.org/10.36854/widok/2019.25.2081). [hdl:11336/168949](https://hdl.handle.net/11336/168949). [ISSN 2300-200X](https://www.worldcat.org/issn/2300-200X). [S2CID 229288678](https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:229288678)*** 1. Podestá, María Mercedes (2002). ["Cueva de las Manos as an example of cultural-natural heritage hybrids"](https://cuevadelasmanos.org/pdfs/Cueva%20de%20las%20Manos.%20As%20an%20example%20of%20Cultural-Natural%20Heritage%20Hybrids%20-%20Podesta%20-%202002.pdf). *Nature and Culture: Ambivalent Dimensions of our Heritage Change of Perspective*. Gauer-Lietz, Sieglinde (ed.). Bonn, Germany. p. 127. ISBN 3-927907-84-7. 1. Onetto, María & Podestá, María Mercedes (2011). ["Cueva de las Manos: An Outstanding Example of a Rock Art Site in South America"](https://cuevadelasmanos.org/pdfs/Onetto%20Podesta.%202011%20Cueva%20de%20las%20Manos.%20An%20Outstanding%20Example%20of%20rock%20art....pdf). *Adoranten*. Scandinavian Society for Prehistoric Art. 1. Menon, Jayashree (ed.) (January 1, 2010). "Patagonia". *Argentina*. Eyewitness Travel Guides. Rev. ed. New York, NY: [DK Publishing](/source/DK_Publishing). p. 242. ISBN 978-0-7566-6193-9. [ISSN 1542-1554](https://www.worldcat.org/issn/1542-1554). [OCLC 741938981](https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/741938981) ### Notes 1. The term *perito* is an honorific that means "expert" --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Perito Moreno, Santa Cruz](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perito_Moreno%2C_Santa_Cruz) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perito_Moreno%2C_Santa_Cruz?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.