Puerto Madryn - Welsh Settlement in Patagonia

The first Welsh colonisers disembarked the Mimosa near Punta Cuevas on the 28 July 1865. The place was named after Love Jones-Parry, the Baron of Madryn in Wales, who accompanied Lewis Jones on an initial survey of the region in 1863. The Welsh journeyed south to Rawson after an initial period in Puerto Madryn in order to settle in the Chubut river valley. By 1886, a railway was built that connected the agricultural area in the Chubut valley with Bahía Nueva, the principal port of the colony. The city of Puerto Madryn grew around the Bahía Nueva end of the railway. Puerto Madryn was twinned with the town of Nefyn in Wales in 1998.

Puerto Madryn

Amongst the Welsh attractions of the city is a historical museum called Museo del Disembarco. The museum is near the caves of Punta Cuevas that were used by the Mimosa settlers temporarily upon arrival. The museum interprets the early days of the settlers in Puerto Madryn. Another attraction is the Welsh Lady, a monument to the Welsh colonisers that was raised in 1965 during the centenary celebrations. There is also a monument to the indigenous Tehuelche natives who befriended the Welsh colonisers. Other worthy attractions are the Eco-centro with its varied exhibitions of sea-life, and a natural science museum at Chalet Pujol.