Once-thriving spa draws tourists to ghostly ruins

EPECUEN, Argentina — Cushioned by a soft silence ruffled only by occasional gusts of wind, tourists walk past rubble and metal shards lying in the streets of what was once the bustling resort of Villa Epecuen. Others photograph petrified trees dotting the apocalyptic scene.

The visitors stop to read signs pointing out where hotels and restaurants stood before the salty waters of Lake Epecuen broke through a protective embankment during a storm in 1985 and submerged the village for the next two decades.

Water finally drained away, leaving the ruins of the town, where rusted vehicles and skeletons of homes that were hastily abandoned offer reminders of what was a mecca of tourism for much of the 20th century.

People once came to relax and bathe in pools of salt water fed by the lake, which is about 310 miles southwest of Buenos Aires. Now, the desolation is what is drawing a stream of Argentines, many of whom are beginning to get out again after a long struggle with the coronavirus pandemic.

Silvia Sabatelli and Teresa Videla strolled through the bleak remains and observed the still, gray lake from the old municipal spa.

“It has a special energy. It is gloomy, but at the same time it is picturesque. This is history,” said Sabatelli.

The spa town was created in 1921 to take advantage of the waters of Lake Epecuen, with its high salinity and concentration of minerals that are used to treat rheumatological and skin conditions. The lower house of Argentina’s congress adopted a measure to declare the ruins a national historic site.