Sierra de los Padres: the Jesuit legacy, the place that inspired Martín Fierro and the "miracle" of the Gruta de los Pañuelos

With the advantage of being so close to Mar del Plata , the peaceful town of Sierra de los Padres becomes a great option for mini-tourism on windy, cool, sunny and cloudy days. Along with the Port, the shopping malls (Paseo Aldrey and Los Gallegos), Villa Victoria and the snack spots along Güemes Street, among other things.

About 20 km from La Feliz, this town is located on the last formations of the old Tandilia System , mountain ranges that run through the center-west of the General Pueyrredón district, in the southeast of the province of Buenos Aires.

You can get here via Route 226 , through landscapes of ravines, lagoons, streams and mountains. Therefore, the drive from Mardel requires a minimum of three hours to be able to take in the cultural, recreational and gastronomic offerings of the area without rushing.

There are also tourism companies that organize minibus tours for $20,000 per person and leave from Plaza España or Plaza Colón.

How to get there? Mar del Plata's Pedro Luro Avenue becomes National Route 226 and, starting from the centre of the seaside town, you pass by the new Railway Station - which still has the old building -, you leave behind the Hippodrome and the Fruit and Vegetable Market and at Km 12 you will see a roundabout that indicates the first access to the Laguna de los Padres Nature Reserve .

New access points appear one after another until you reach the large body of water, where you can practice rowing, canoeing and windsurfing.

On an area of ​​more than 600 hectares, there are campsites, fishing clubs and recreational areas with barbecue grills among undulating groves and araucaria forests.

The Reduction of Nuestra Señora del Pilar was built on the banks of Laguna de las Cabrillas (today Laguna de los Padres) when this area was a territory inhabited by the Pampas people. In 1746, three Jesuits established a small settlement made up of Puelches, Moluches and Serranos who settled around the mission.

A cross presided over the action of the Jesuit fathers Falkner, Cardiel and Strobel who began their work in the area without imagining that on the edge of the lagoon - to which they gave their name - humble buildings would be erected.

The monks only preached the Catholic faith and induced these nomadic ethnic groups to a more sedentary life, leading them to work the land, as occurred in the Estancia del Pueblo , where they cultivated wheat for the first time.

In response to the complaints of the Pampas, the Jesuits abandoned the evangelizing plan in 1751, turning the reduction into the second Christian population in indigenous territory.

"In an environment like this, the Jesuit missionaries lived in the midst of absolute austerity, having as their setting the solitude of the deserted pampas and as their only object the greater glory of God." This sign can be read upon entering one of the rebuilt houses, along with a large image of Ceferino Namuncurá and a map of the province of Buenos Aires, among other things.

Today, the buildings that can be visited are replicas , such as the one that shows the path that the Society of Jesus took with its work from the north of the country.

To place yourself in time and space, you have to remember that Mar del Plata was founded on February 10, 1874 .

In the historic place is also the parish of Nuestra Señora del Pilar , where the Jesuit Reduction is one of the chapels a few meters from the Laguna de los Padres.

With white walls and thatched roofs, it is a historical reconstruction of a chapel, along with buildings that include a museum commemorating the Mission of the Jesuit Fathers and the indigenous populations of the area.

The Reduction can be visited every day from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. free of charge , and on Sundays mass is celebrated in the chapel.

Around 1826, the Estancia Laguna de los Padres was built on the site, where the poet, journalist and soldier José Hernández settled as a child with his father.

During part of his childhood and adolescence, all the experiences in the countryside of the author of “Martín Fierro” were going to mark and inspire him when writing the crowning work of gaucho literature, when he came into contact with the gauchos and learned about their customs, language and way of life.

In the place where the old ranch was located, the José Hernández Municipal Museum began to operate in 1885, which reflects rural history, along with the shearing shed and the cattle watering trough.

In the rocky massif of Sierra de los Padres, one of the must-sees is the Gruta de la Virgen, better known as Gruta de los Pañuelos . Why? Because it took its name from the scarves that devout people tie together and pray to God and the Virgin.

It all began in 1948, when a couple of Italian immigrants placed an image of the Virgin on a natural pedestal and tied the first handkerchiefs together , praying that she would grant them a child because they could not have one.

Four months later they returned to the place to give thanks for "the miracle" because the woman was pregnant and they maintained that the Virgin had heard their prayers, so they put more handkerchiefs.

Over the years, the place became filled with visitors who tied their scarves together and there were so many that a chain of colorful fabrics was formed that went up and down the rocks.

In 1982, the image of the Virgin of Lugar was enthroned in the Grotto: the faithful continue to come to leave their handkerchiefs and pray for health, work and family.

The Paseo de la Cumbre open-air shopping centre has several shops selling regional products, crafts, sweets, chocolates, decoration and clothing. Up stairs and on wooden decks, the restaurant and confectionery services have a great view of the mountains.

Both those who come to the place on their own and those who come on an excursion take a couple of hours to walk around at a leisurely pace and have a drink amidst the peaceful mountain landscape.