CHAPTER II 



THE OASES OF THE NORTH-WEST AND 

 PASTORAL LIFE IN THE SCRUB 



The inhabited zones of the Andes in the north-west — Valles, Que- 

 bradas, Puna — The irrigation of the valles — The historic routes — 

 Convoys of stock — The breeding of mules and the fairs — The 

 struggle of the breeders against drought — The Sierra de los 

 Llanos. 



The whole life and wealth of the arid provinces of 

 north-western Argentina depend upon irrigation ; the 

 water-supply definitively settles the sites of human 

 establishments. The water resources are irregularly 

 distributed. They are especially abundant in the 

 south (San Juan, Mendoza, and San Rafael), where 

 the torrents of the Cordillera are fed by the glaciers, 

 and on the outer fringe of the hills above the Chaco, 

 at the foot of Aconcagua, which gathers masses of 

 cloud and rain on its flanks (Tucuman). In the inter- 

 mediate district, on the contrary, in the regions of 

 La Rioja and Catamarca, and in the interior of the 

 hilly zone to the north-west of Tucuman, the amount 

 of available water is small ; the oases shrink into small 

 spots far removed from each other. 



This natural inequality was not felt at first. For a 

 long time the spread of cultivation and the progress of 

 wealth were restricted only by the scarcity of popula- 

 tion, the difficulties of transport, and the inadequacy 

 of the markets. The best endowed oases paid no 

 attention to the surplus supply of water, for which 

 they had no use. We have to come down to the close 



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