Trevellin - A Welsh pueblo

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This town with a population of 10,000 people is about 25 km south of Esquel. I travelled on the hourly bus service , 1000 departure taking 40 minutes ish  through flat land , surrounded on both sides by mountains , cordillera Los Andes . 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trevelin

My expectations were low to be honest maybe a token gesture to a bygone era of Welshness ,  few Croeso signs , a tea shop and a few Welsh dragons . 

After getting off the bus , walking towards town my first road sign showed Welcome in Spanish Welsh and Mapuche. That’s a nice welcome . 




The tourists information centre is in front of you on the hexagonal centred plaza , the town’s roads radiates from this centre . Dragon and Welsh flag . 






I speak in Spanish at the centre finding out the core places to visit 

  • Andes museo
  • Cartref nain
  • Welsh Tea shops 
  • The Welsh school
  • The chapel 
  • Los Molinos ( the Mill )
  • Las Cascadas (waterfalls)
As I’m leaving I ask if many in town speak Welsh. 




My information host points me to the next desk , Nihara is a Welsh speaker who spent some time in Llandovery and was familiar with Ammanford. Here’s our little chat. 

Ooos can’t load too big 

My first visit was to the town’s museum reflecting the Mapuche and Welsh ancestry . It’s refreshing to see the Welsh language given such prominence alongside Spanish in describing the exhibits . 







Here’s a letter written on Hydref 26. (October 26 ) my birthday . As it happens it’s also the day of the gunfight at Ok corral in Tombstone Arizona featuring the Morgan brothers . What neat handwriting . 

Many photos taken . 

Not many wandered to my next little place . Cartef Nain . It was hidden away some tracks . The Welsh signs were there . I didn’t know if I should be wandering around but this lady came towards me who turned out to be , the granddaughter of John Daniel Evans who built the flour mill in Trevellin in 1918. 







Feeling quite chuffed and at home I walk up San Martín street passing the Williams store and eventually arriving at the Welsh school . Again I didn’t know what to expect . 


It was about 1300 and there were loads of parents picking up their children from the school building , the Welsh dragon flying next to the Argentina flag . I took some photo . Ooh look there’s the Urdd triangle . I then ask one of the teachers if they spoke Welsh here. 

Met Andy and Marie . He’s a Jaguar engineer who met Marie in Harlech on her teaching assignment. From Wrexham . Now a maintenance man here . 

He was Ivan , a Welsh speaking Russian working and teaching in Trevellin. He welcomed me into the school and showed me around . 






The school’s website 

The Welsh replica of John Daniel Evans mill is about 10km out of town in Cwm Hyfryd. Do a hastily arranged taxi and a drive through dusty tracks and I arrived to hear Juan Mervyn Evans give his talk on the history of the area and the impact of Wales here . 

Like a mini St Fagans . Some tall stories , about moustaches and teacups , also the Welsh sing he played on the piano was NOT Welsh song but in the spirit of promoting Wales in was good . 

He went on about the English and the Welsh not. 









Returning to town I had to stop at a Casa de te ( Welsh tea shop). All I wanted was some bara brith , or welsh cake and a cup of tea . But it was a set menu and generally they got it right 
  • Bara menyn jam ( jam sandwiches)
  • Ham sandwiches 
  • Scone 
  • Torta galesa 
  • Other cakes 
Yes I’ve had them all at tea time BUT not all at the same time . The tea served from a china tea pot beautiful . 





So yes Welshness is alive and well in Trevellin. 

I did ask at the information office and school if Trevellin was more Weldh than Trelew or Puerto Madryn . The reply was … that’s for me to find out . I feel a bit of rivalry here . We’ll see in a few days time . 

Here is a typical name on a poster , reflecting Spanish and Welsh ancestry. Leandro Roberts 




A good day . 










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