Abandoned

In the 1920s, investors from the capital built the Villa de Lago Epecúen tourist complex directly on the shores of the lake. In the decades that followed, Villa de Lago Epecúen blossomed into a modern tourist resort with 1,500 inhabitants and 25,000 hotel beds: In the 1960s, the region was affected by an unusual drought; at the height of the dry period, the lake was only around 2m deep and had a salt content of 400g/litre. During this phase, local politicians asked for help. This came in the form of supply channels from the large rivers that transported the water masses from the Andes towards the Atlantic. The water level rose again and the tourism business could continue. But the climate changed again. The water in Lago Epecúen rose dangerously. Calls for help from the local population went unheard and the Argentinian government promised to take care of the problem.

However, the inhabitants of Villa de Lago Epecúen could not rely on this. In 1985, the salty water broke through an earth dam and Villa Epecúen was doomed.