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La Rioja
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La Rioja, Argentina.
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La Rioja, Argentina.
La Rioja, Argentina.

La Rioja

Argentina
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Article History

La Rioja, city, capital of La Rioja provincia (province), northwestern Argentina. It is located on the La Rioja River at the foot of the Velasco Mountains.

Founded in 1591 by explorers for gold and silver, it long remained a small commercial and administrative centre close to intermittently worked deposits of copper, silver, and lead ores in the high Andes Mountains to the west. Its destruction by earthquake in 1894 led to its reconstruction along modern lines.

Contemporary commercial activities are based on agriculture (including cultivation of grapes, olives, apples, and pears), wine making, and elementary industries. The nearby dam on the La Rioja River is a source of power and irrigation. Notable landmarks include the ruins of a 16th-century Jesuit church and regional museums of archaeology and folklore. Pop. (2001) 143,684; (2010) 180,995.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Kenneth Pletcher.