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Photo: Gonce, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
The Quebrada de Ullúm Dam, or simply Ullúm Dam, is an embankment dam on the San Juan River, just west of San Juan in Ullúm Department of the Province of San Juan, Argentina. It is located at the gorge of the Quebrada de Ullum, 18 kilometres (11 mi) upstream from the provincial capital San Juan, and creates a reservoir with an area of 32 square kilometres (12 sq mi), a volume of 440 million cubic metres, and average and maximum depths of 15 and 40 metres, respectively. The reservoir feeds a hydroelectric power station with an installed power capacity of 45 megawatts (60,000 hp).
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May Park
This green space was inaugurated in May 1910 to commemorate the centenary of the May Revolution. It has games for children, an artificial lake with an island, fish and aquatic birds, a cycling circuit, karting facilities, lots of statues and a dinosaur museum next door.
Instituto y Museo de Ciencias Naturales, Tierra de Dinosaurios
In the old railway station Ferrocarril General Belgrano, is the largest dinosaur museum in the region. Well presented. Although called a natural science museum, it is more a natural history museum, mostly focused on dinosaurs. The descriptions are only in Spanish, but it is surprising how much can be understood: many technical words are quite similar in English. Significant fossil finds in the north and east of San Juan province. Can see cleaning of fossils being done at the museum.
Plaza Francisco Narciso Lapida
Another leafy square with a couple of OK cafes and a statue in the middle. This one has a small children's play-park.
Birthplace of the illustrious educator and president of the republic, Domingo Faustino Sarmiento on 15 February 1811. 9 rooms with relics, photographs, medals, journals and books written by Sarmiento. In the central patio a sprout of a famous fig tree and replica of the historical loom of Doña Paula, his mother. The first historical monument declared in the country, in 1910. Almost all labelling only in Spanish.
Metropolitan Cathedral
Built in 1979 after the 1944 earthquake seriously damaged the previous Jesuit church that had been erected as the Cathedral of San Juan. A work of prestigious architect Daniel Ramos Correas. The bell tower is 51 m high, covered with red ceramic brick and topped with an ornamental pyramid. An elevator goes up to a viewpoint at the top. It has a Big-Ben clock and a German carillon that rings every 15 minutes. The main nave is accessed through a bronze vestibule built in Faenza, Italy with bas-relief of Santa Rosa de Lima, San Luis, the Santiago apostle, Santa Ana and several other shields and emblems. In the basement of the church is a crypt, tombs of former bishops and a chapel of famous Argentine bishop and San Juan-born Justo de Santa María de Oro.
25 May Square
The centre of the city, dating from 1871 is green and relatively quiet. Coffee shops. Statues of Domingo Faustino Sarmiento and Fray Santa Maria de Oro by Miguel Sugo Angel. See cathedral.