A Patagonian capital built on a forgotten fortress and a Welsh dream

Countries & Cities · Published 29 September 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Rawson, the capital of Argentina's Chubut province, began as the first settlement for Welsh immigrants arriving on the Mimosa in 1865. Yet, these pioneers did not arrive in a vacuum. They occupied a pre-existing mud-walled fortress, a site with a mysterious history that predates their arrival by over a decade.

The city of Rawson sits along the Chubut River, roughly 1,360 kilometers south of Buenos Aires. Its origins are tied to the 1865 arrival of Welsh settlers who sought to establish a national colony. Upon arrival, they found a mud-walled structure already standing on the site. While the settlers used this fort—which they called Yr Hen Amddiffynfa or Caer Antur—as a temporary home, historians suggest it was likely constructed in 1853 by non-Indigenous hunters tracking feral cattle. Henry Libanus Jones, in his 1861 notes on Patagonia, referred to this site as Fuerte Paz.

The town’s development was far from linear. By the late 19th century, the demographic shifted as many Italians arrived between 1885 and 1890, initially working as railway laborers. The town also became a hub for cultural expression; the first wooden bridge over the river was built in 1889 by Griffith Griffiths, a Welsh-language poet known as Gutyn Ebrill, who founded the Patagonia Gorsedd of Bards. Today, that site is honored as the Puente del Poeta, or poet's bridge, commemorating his legacy.

Rawson’s status as a capital was tested by the environment. Severe flooding in 1899 and 1901 caused significant depopulation, with many residents fleeing to nearby Trelew. This migration sparked a lasting rivalry between the two towns, exacerbated by their distinct ethnic compositions; Rawson maintained a higher proportion of Argentines, Italians, and Spanish residents, alongside a stronger Catholic presence. Despite these challenges, Rawson recovered and reclaimed its role as the provincial capital, serving today as a gateway to the Atlantic coast via its fishing port, Puerto Rawson.

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