La Nacional: Railway History and Laguna El Cuero

Together, these two topics offer different insights into the region—from historical transport to Ranquel history and the landscape. Their connections in time and place can be considered separately, without equating the lagoon with the town itself.

Railway Station and Town History

In 1930, the La Nacional railway station in Córdoba Province, in the General Roca Department, was authorized to handle passenger traffic, telegraphy, freight, livestock, and parcels. The authorization at the time therefore covered the transport of both people and goods, as well as telegraphy. It describes the various functions assigned to the station at that time.

For the same year, the Hotel de Juan B. Lannoudé is listed as accommodation in La Nacional. The name is part of the town’s history in 1930 and adds a reference to lodging to the picture of the town at that time.

Laguna El Cuero in the Surrounding Area

Laguna El Cuero, also known as El Cuero Chico, is elongated and extends 900 m from north to south. It is more than 300 m wide and covers about 25 ha. Its length, width, and area provide three different measures of the waterbody’s shape: a pronounced north–south extent, a width of over 300 m, and an approximate total area. This helps give a more concrete sense of the landscape surrounding La Nacional.

The Ranquel name for Laguna El Cuero is “Trülke Lavken”: “Trülke” means “Cuero,” and “Lavken” means “lagoon.” Together, the name means “Laguna del Cuero.” The lagoon was a settlement of several Ranquel chiefs; its name and this historical connection give the waterbody a cultural significance beyond its geographical description.

The history of the Rastrillada del Cuero is also connected to the lagoon. In the 19th century, it was an important landmark for travelers because this significant route linking the Río Cuarto frontier with Mamil Mapu ran there. This is a historical connection: the route is part of the recorded travel history of the area around the lagoon.

In terms of landscape, Laguna El Cuero lies at the beginning of the Pampas Caldén ecosystem, represented in the area by the so-called “Montes del Cuero.” Several aspects come together at this nearby location: the waterbody’s elongated shape and size, its name in the Ranquel language, and its historical role as a landmark. To understand La Nacional, it helps to place these landscape and cultural connections in the surrounding area.

Cultural Sites in the General Roca Department

Elsewhere in the broader destination of General Roca Department, Villa Huidobro offers further cultural attractions. The paths and planted flowerbeds of Plazoleta del Centenario trace the geometry of the department. A monument commemorating the Malvinas War was inaugurated there in 2023 at the Juan Pablo II entrance. On Plaza “2 de Abril” in Barrio Sur, a monolith and flagpole commemorate the war’s veterans and fallen.

The Sala Cine – Teatro of the Sporting Club in Villa Huidobro is also part of the municipality’s historic heritage; it reopened and resumed operations on January 1, 2018. In Italó, there is a theater built by the Asociación Francesa with a structure made of wood and fabric. Its seats are more than 100 years old. These examples relate to Villa Huidobro and Italó in the General Roca Department; the railway history and nearby Laguna El Cuero, by contrast, provide context for La Nacional and its surroundings.

For the broader travel overview: General Roca Department.