Mendoza, city in western Argentina, capital of Mendoza Province, at the foot of the Andes Mountains. Mendoza is the commercial center of an area that is irrigated by several small rivers and produces most of the wine and much of the fruit of Argentina. Wine making, fruit packing, oil refining, and metalworking are the principal industries of the city. Mendoza was almost totally destroyed by earthquake in 1861 but was rebuilt. It stands at the eastern end of the highway and railroad crossing the Andes into Chile. In Mendoza are the National University of Cuyo (1939), the University of Mendoza (1960), and many relics of General José de San Martín, who in 1817 led his army over the Andes to liberate Chile from Spain. The striking monument to the Army of the Andes stands on a hill nearby. Population (1991) 121,620.
