Question

What was Lihué Calel National Park before it became a park, and who was in charge of i

Answer 1

It originally belonged to a private owner who used is as an estancia. When the government saw its beauty and historical relevance they gained control over it in 1977.

Answer 2

Answer:

Lihué Calel National Park which in the Mapuche language means Sierra de la Vida (Sierra of Life) is located in the south center of the province of La Pampa.

This land, in the past, was the territory of the Araucanians indigenous people and was the area where the Araucan leader Namuncurá confronted the troops of General Lavalle. After this area was taken over by the army, the lands were distributed among powerful landowners and military for the same purpose that was used by the Araucanian ethnic group, the raising of cattle.

Then in 1943 the lands of Lihué Calel were bought by Luis Gallardo, son of a renowned naturalist, who installed a private residence. However, in the following years the government of the province of La Pampa expropriated the ranch to use it for tourism purposes and in 1976 donated the lands to the National Government to ensure the conservation of regional biodiversity.

Thus, in 1976 the military government of Jorge Rafael Videla accepted the donation made by La Pampa and ordered that the National Park Lihué Calel be created by a law decree.