 |
In 1541, the conqueror Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca found himself between Argentina and Brazil and in front of the planet’s most beautiful waterfalls, which he christened Saltos de Santa María, in honour of his Virgin. It was, however, their Guaraní name that remained in use over the years: Iguazú (meaning “great waters”). |
|
|
Its most important precipice is the Garganta del Diablo (Devil’s Gorge), an impressive 70-metre fall that gathers the waters from the Iguazú river and serves to separate the two national parks found either side: Iguazú National Park (Argentina) and Iguaçu National Park (Brazil), both declared World Heritage sites in 1984 and originally created in order to protect the 275 waterfalls and vast virgin jungles that occupy its 67.000 hectares, as well as the countless endemic and sometimes endangered species that inhabit it.
