At the feet of the Sierras Grandes Highlands, over the shores of the Río Chorrillos River, in the extremity called Punta de los Venados - hence the surname "Puntanos" given to its inhabitants - the simple and amiable City of San Luis offers a vast tourist repertoire to the traveller.

Founded one August 25th in the year of 1594 by Luis Jufré de Loaysa y Meneses, was rewarded with the name of San Luis de Loyola Nueva Medina del Río Seco. San Luis to honour the King of France, Loyola for Don Martín Oñez de Loyola, Captain General of Chile, and Nueva Medina as a reminiscence of the birth place of its founder.

More than four centuries later, the City still preserves the urban equilibrium between the "casonas" or big old typical houses in colonial style, with their ample patios, and the modern buildings standing in the commercial zone.

The City of San Luis is the entrance door to Cuyo, from where develops a fan of routes to different localities, such as Mendoza, San Juan and San Rafael from where, again, other possible destinies appear, as for example getting through the border to the Republic of Chile and reaching the Pacific Ocean.

That is how this City gets transformed into a transition place to a handful of diverse localities and so it also becomes a transition towards different landscapes, regional cultures and traditions from Argentina.

A first impression can deceive the wits of the traveller, but if he takes a little time to taste each of its corners, he will discover a delicious provincial intimacy, with surroundings full of moist orchards and perfumed fruit trees.

The most important changes took place during the last third part of the 19th century, with the arrival of the railway and of immigrants. With them, the City also constructed the Cathedral Church, two schools that made history and lots of commercial stores and Italian styled houses.

The City has hotels, restaurants, a river beach resort and all the basic services for the traveller. The tourist can take a walk starting from the Plaza Pringles Square, a stroll among very old groves whose name recalls that of the hero of San Luis that fought with the Liberation Army.