San Fernando del Valle de Catamarca

San Fernando del Valle de Catamarca, city in northwestern Argentina, capital of Catamarca Province, on the Río de Valle Catamarca near the Nevados del Aconquija mountains. Agriculture is San Fernando del Valle de Catamarca's chief economic activity; however, low rainfall makes irrigation necessary. Cotton and cattle are important economically. Fruit and grapes are grown in the oasis areas near the city. Other local production includes preserves and handwoven ponchos. Many pilgrims come to San Fernando del Valle de Catamarca to visit the Church of the Virgin of the Valley (1694), which contains a statue of Nuestra Señora del Valle (Our Lady of the Valley). An initial settlement, called Londres, was established here by Spanish colonists in 1558; a permanent settlement was not founded until 1683. Population (1991) 132,626.