Mercedes

Mercedes, a town in Buenos Aires Province west of the capital, hosts three national food festivals — the Fiesta Nacional del Salame Quintero, the Fiesta Nacional del Durazno (peach), and the Fiesta Provincial de la Torta Frita — drawing visitors from across the region. Its neo-Gothic Catedral Basílica Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes anchors the central Plaza San Martín, flanked by the municipal palace and a cluster of cafés and restaurants. The town originated as a frontier fort in 1745 and was once proposed as the provincial capital, earning the nickname "La Perla del Oeste."

• Population63,284
• Nearest water1.5 km