Old Bridge Zanjón de Loreto
Schedule: Lunes a viernes es de 8 a 12 y de 16 a 20 hs.
Ticket cost: Free admission
'Several bridges were built over the Zanjón Loreto; today you can visit the old bridge just a few meters from Av. 9 de Julio.'
Tranquera Bridge of the Loreto Ditch (“Puente viejo del Zanjón de Loreto”)
Several bridges were built over the Loreto Ditch. Today, you can visit the old bridge, near 9 de Julio Avenue (GPS: -27.5745914, -56.6715514).
In 1630, the Jesuits dug a ditch from the Paraná River to the Iberá wetlands lagoon. This ditch was called Zanjón de Loreto. It was not for draining the lagoon, but to let water from the Paraná River flow in during floods and raise the lagoon’s level.
This was important because the Corriente River starts in the Iberá lagoon. That river was used by small boats to carry wood and other goods to the Paraná River, near the town of Esquina.
Two more ditches were also dug: one in Santa Tecla, a few kilometers upstream, and another in San Miguel.
