![Atop Empire State- in construction; Chrysler Bldg & [Daily] News in middle foreground. (1931)](../../../wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Atop-Empire-State-in-construction-Chrysler-Bldg-Daily-News-in-middle-foreground.-1931--199x123.jpg "Balancing on the Empire State, 1920s")
‘Back in the 1920s, a tourist village was established along the shore of Lago Epecuén, a salt lake some 600 kilometers southwest of Buenos Aires, Argentina. The resort town, named Villa Epecuén, soon had a railroad station, and it thrived for several decades, peaking in the 1970s with a population of more than 5,000. Around the same time, a long-term weather event was delivering far more rain than usual to the surrounding hills for years, and Lago Epecuén began to swell. In 1985, the salty waters broke through an earthen dam, and Villa Epecuén was doomed. A slow-growing flood consumed the town until it reached a depth of 10 meters (33 feet) in 1993. The wet weather later reversed, and the waters began to recede in 2024. AFP photographer Juan Mabromata recently visited the ruins of Villa Epecuén, met its sole inhabitant, and returned with these images.’
- The Atlantic
Lone inhabitant of Villa Epecuén, 81-year-old Pablo Novak tends his wood stove at his on May 3, 2024. Novak is the only one of some 1,500 original residents to have returned to the Villa
…
This capsule was curated by Truna
Hey Chris! thanks for the Epecuén story. Is a sad and terrible fact for a thousands of people from this town.
By the way…a little correction: The real name of this town is “Epecuén”, not “Epucuen”. Best regards for you!
Simply wonderful.
Thanks Gerardo, I’ve corrected the name.
It’s amazing…it reminds me of the Fallout 3 game, the ruins are very similar to those represented on the game. Again, amazing. I live in Buenos Aires, so i’ll be visiting Epequén soon.