San Juan

San Juan, city, capital of San Juan provincia (province), west-central Argentina. It lies along the San Juan River and is enclosed by foothills of the Andes Mountains on three sides.

Founded in 1562 by Juan Jufré y Montesa, governor of the captaincy general of Cuyo, the city was moved in 1593 to its present site, 2 miles (3 km) south, because of floods; it is now protected by an embankment. Because it was on the fringe of Spanish-held territory, it was originally named San Juan de la Frontera. Early in the 18th century, Jesuits built a cathedral and a convent, both of which were destroyed, along with most of the city’s other buildings, in a severe earthquake in 1944. Reconstruction gave San Juan a modern appearance.

The processing of meat, wines, fruits, and grains is the main economic activity. San Juan was the birthplace of Domingo Faustino Sarmiento (Argentine educator and president from 1868 to 1874), and his home, which contains a museum and library, was declared a national monument in 1910. Pop. (2001) 112,778; (2010) 109,123.