Salinas de Garci Mendoza

Place in Oruro Department, Bolivia

19°38′15″S 67°40′31″W / 19.63750°S 67.67528°W / -19.63750; -67.67528Country

BoliviaDepartment

Oruro DepartmentProvinceLadislao Cabrera ProvinceElevation

12,244 ft (3,732 m)Population

(2001)

• Total584Time zoneUTC-4 (BOT)

Salinas de Garci Mendoza (formerly: Salinas de Thunupa) is a town in the Bolivian Oruro Department. It is the administrative center of Ladislao Cabrera Province and is located 280 km (170 mi) south-west of Oruro, the capital of the department. It is situated at an elevation of 3,732 m (12,244 ft) at Caricha (4,227 m or 13,868 ft), 20 km north of the Tunupa stratovolcano. Salar de Coipasa,a salt lake, is 20 km north-west of Salinas de Garci Mendoza, and 15 km in south-eastern direction is Salar de Uyuni, the world's largest salt pan. Salinas de Garci Mendoza is the endpoint of the road from Chuquichamba via Andamarca and Aroma to Salinas de Garci Mendoza.

Salinas de Garci Mendoza bears the title "Capital of Quinoa" because of the intensive cultivation of the quinoa crop in this area.