Resistencia

RESISTENCIA is Chaco Province’s sprawling administrative capital, with nearly half a million inhabitants, and the principal gateway to the Gran Chaco. Despite its commercial importance and lack of colonial architecture, the city is a pleasant enough place; it has a feeling of spaciousness about it and is known for the outstanding friendliness of its inhabitants.
The city’s nickname is “Ciudad de las Esculturas” (“City of Sculptures”), owing to over two hundred outdoor statues scattered throughout town. The man behind this use of art to instil civic pride, Aldo Boglietti, also founded a remarkable cultural centre called the Fogón de los Arrieros, at Brown 350 (daily 8am–noon & 9pm–midnight; $5). Its name means “The Drovers’ Campfire”, and it’s where artists came to meet, share their particular art form and then continue their journey. You can come during the day to look round the eclectic mix of paintings and sculptures left behind by visiting artists, but it’s more fun in the evening, when you can have a drink or empanada at the cosy bar. Best of all, try to catch one of the events – concerts, poetry recitals and the like – staged once or twice a week in the main salon or, weather permitting, the patio.