The Ruins of Villa Epecuen

Back in the 1920s, a tourist village was established along the shore of Lago Epecuen, a salt lake some 600 kilometers southwest of Buenos Aires, Argentina. The resort town, named Villa Epucuen, 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 Epecuen began to swell. In 1985, the salty waters broke through an earthen dam, and Villa Epecuen 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 2009. AFP photographer Juan Mabromata recently visited the ruins of Villa Epecuen, met its sole inhabitant, and returned with these images.

Read more
Hints: View this page full screen. Skip to the next and previous photo by typing j/k or ←/→.

Most Recent

  • Joan Mateu Parra / AP
    • In Focus
    • 12:30 AM ET
    • 35 Photos

    Photos of the Week: Lightning Rod, Crown Fountain, Lunar Transit

    Surfing at a water park in Italy, Ivan Kupala day in Russia, a robotic rover on Mount Etna, a Pride parade in Mexico City, National Paddy Day in Nepal, and much more

  • NASA / JPL-Caltech / University of Arizona
    • In Focus
    • June 29, 2022
    • 20 Photos

    The Dust Devils of Mars

    Beautiful images from another world, of a delicate, ephemeral phenomenon

  • Leon Neal / Getty
    • In Focus
    • June 27, 2022
    • 28 Photos

    Scenes From Glastonbury 2022

    Images from this year’s Glastonbury Festival—back after a two-year COVID-19 hiatus

  • Peter Zay / Anadolu Agency / Getty
    • In Focus
    • June 26, 2022
    • 30 Photos

    Photos: Protests Against the Overturning of Roe

    Images of protest from Houston, Atlanta, Boston, Seattle, Denver, Raleigh, St. Louis, Portland, New York, Nashville, and many other locations

Most Popular on The Atlantic

  1. Is Biden a Man Out of Time?
  2. Side Effects May Include … A Completely New Hair Color?
  3. The Supreme Court’s EPA Ruling Is Going to Be Very, Very Expensive
  4. Ukraine Has Exposed Russia As a Not So Great Power
  5. Lessons From 40 Men in Egalitarian Relationships
  6. Air Travel Is a Disaster Right Now. Here’s Why.
  7. Why Other Countries Have Better Sunscreen
  8. The Reason Liz Cheney Is Narrating the January 6 Story
  9. Don’t Surround Yourself With Admirers
  10. Don’t Forget That 43 Senate Republicans Let Trump Get Away With It
Back to Top