Welsh Ways in Patagonia - Argentina

By: Allan Taylor

It’s a long way from Wales but Trevelin, the “village of the mill”, is as Welsh as any village within a day’s wander from Cardiff.

The big difference is that Trevelin lies in a broad, fertile valley backed by the snowy Andean mountains of Argentine Patagonia - where Welsh migrants settled late last century.

They introduced their Welsh ways to the still sparsely populated, peaceful Chubut Province and today visitors can see prosperous sheep farms and cattle in sunny, sheltered fields lined by poplars. Willows mark meandering trout streams.

This region though is essentially unknown to foreign tourists. Travellers who do venture off the beaten track are mainly professional wanderers, backpackers, hikers and trout fishermen.

Old Patagonia Express

“La Trochita” steam engine at Esquel station

We stayed in the town of Esquel, 24 kms NE of Trevelin, and took a bus to spend the day exploring the village. Trevelin’s broad, tree-lined main street leads to a central Plaza Coronel Fontana which has eight streets radiating outwards.

The plaza has an imposing statue of General Fontana Roca on horseback. A bronze plaque commemorates his Conquista del Desierto - Conquest of the Desert - in which his forces ruthlessly exterminated the indigenous people and took over their land during the 1870’s.

In contrast, the Welsh came as peaceful settlers with bibles not guns, and began trading with the Indians.

The first Welsh settlement in Argentina in 1863 was on the Atlantic coastline at Madryn, a semi-fertile, cold and windswept spot.

John Evan's Cottage

Replica of John Evans’ cottage, Trevelin

In March 1883 four men, led by John Evans, set out on horseback to explore the hinterland. While gold prospecting in the hills near Las Palmas, three of the group were killed by Indians. Evans escaped on his horse, Malacara, by leaping down a four metre embankment. When he got back to Madryn, he told of the more fertile land nearer the mountains which led to the settlement of Trevelin.

Malacara - the name, meaning “ugly face”, comes from a disfiguring blaze on the horse’s head - became a legend. He died in 1909, aged 31 years, and his tomb and bronze plaque are in a tree-shaded garden setting in the village.

Bread Oven

Outdoor bread oven at John Evans’ cottage, Trevelin

Nearby is a replica of Evans’ house with original furniture and items. The main room has a black, wood-burning stove from England and antique kitchenware decorates the walls. By the open fireplace are mementos of Malacara - a plaque displaying his hoof, and some teeth.

Outside the cabin is a large dome-shaped oven for baking bread which was traded with the Indians for meat. A picket fence surrounds a beautiful garden commemorating the spot where John Evans’ grandfather died.

Trevelen is noted for its many Welsh teahouses. In the village we found the recommended Casa de Té, called Nain Maggie. It was midday but the teahouse was closed.

“No, we don’t normally open until three o’clock” explained the lady.

We expressed disappointment, then chatted awhile and learnt that the teahouse was named after Senora Maggie Freeman de Jones who died aged 103 years. She was born in 1878 at Trelew on the Patagonian coast and came to Trevelen in 1891. Our interest led to a spontaneous invitation where, for 10 pesos each, we had a large pot of tea, hot scones, butter, cheese, white bread, jam and five types of cake.

Near the teahouse is the Regional Museum in a four-storey replica of an old flour mill. A stream once flowed under the building powering a waterwheel that drove the mill used to grind grain. The excellent display includes old farm equipment, antique furniture and pioneer clothes.

Those Welsh nationalists left home for Patagonia so they could exercise their own religion, language and way of life. Welsh surnames are common in Trevelin, as are the teahouses and chapels, but Spanish is now their language.

The Wales of Patagonia still has a touch of the old country as a pause for tea at Nain Maggie or dining at Te Cymreig Yng Nghwm Hyfryd soon shows.

Questions?

If you want more information about this area you can email the author or check out our South America Insiders page.

Patagonia Fast facts

Where to Start?

Normally one would start at San Carlos de Bariloche, the famous tourist center of the Argentine Lake District. After living it up here for a week or so take a leisurely bus ride south to Esquel (5 hours, US$20).

Esquel

Esquel, population 25,000, is a neat town serving a prosperous farming community in the foothills of the Andes. It is the gateway to Los Alerces National Park. Don’t expect any organized tours to happen until the summer season - Dec to Jan. At other times foreign tourists are few.

Budget accommodation in private houses, or hospedajes, can be found for under US$20 double. Check at the Tourist Office or consult the Lonely Planet Guide.

Esquel is the terminus for the narrow-gauge steam train, “The Old Patagonia Express” which now operates in the summer a twice daily 2½ hour excursion (US$15) to Nahuel Pan, a bleak settlement out in the treeless pampa.

Passengers in the quaint wooden carriages can warm up over a coal-fired potbelly stove as the steam engine “La Trochita” chuffs away at a top speed of about 45kms/hour. Check out the railway station, Estación Ferrocarril Roca, for quaint rolling-stock and the momentous departure/arrival of the express.

Sometimes there is arranged for train enthusiasts a special 6 hour trip from El Maitén to Esquel (192 kms) . See both web sites for details.

Read Paul Theroux’s travel book “The Old Patagonia Express” (1979) for the experience of a train journey in the good old days.

Weather at Esquel? Check the forecast.

Trevelin is a short bus ride (26kms, US$1.50) from Esquel and is en route to Chile and its border town of Futaleufú. Conversely, if you are roaming the Chaitén region of Chile this is an easy way to cross into Argentina. At the peak summer period there may be minibuses going to the border; other times you will have to hitchhike.

¡Buen viaje!

The Author