Huanacache

The lagoons of Guanacache formed a chain of lakes and marshes in the dry country east of the Andes. Fed by the Mendoza and San Juan rivers, they sustained Huarpe communities along their shores. People fished the waters and travelled among the lagoons in craft made from bundled reeds. Floods also watered the surrounding land, where soils could be cultivated as the waters receded. The wetlands offered a rich contrast to the arid plains around them.