| Villa Carlos Paz | |
|---|---|
|  View of the city from Cerro de la Cruz | |
| Coordinates:31°24′S64°31′W / 31.400°S 64.517°W /-31.400; -64.517 | |
| Country |  Argentina | 
| Province |  Córdoba | 
| Department | Punilla | 
| Founded | July 16, 1913 | 
| Founded by | Carlos Nicandro Paz | 
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Esteban A. Aviles | 
| Area | |
|  • Total | 26.63 km2 (10.28 sq mi) | 
| Elevation | 643 m (2,110 ft) | 
| Population  (2010) | |
|  • Total | 75,315 | 
| • Density | 2,828/km2 (7,325/sq mi) | 
| Time zone | UTC−3 (ART) | 
| CPA base | X5152 | 
| Dialing code | +54 3541 | 
| Website | Official website | 
Villa Carlos Paz (locally[ˈbiʝaˈkaɾlosˈpas]) is a city in the center-north of theprovince ofCórdoba, Argentina, in the south of thePunilla Valley, lying on the western slope of the Sierras Chicas. It has a population of about 56,000 as per the 2001census[INDEC]. The area of Punilla is a major tourist destination on the national level, and Villa Carlos Paz is in turn the most important city of Punilla, favoured by its closeness (36 km (22 mi)) to the populousCórdoba City, the capital of the province. Popular tourist activities include bathing in one of themany rivers, fishing, evening shows, kite surfing, windsurfing, hiking and mountain biking.
Villa Carlos Paz is located on the southern shore of theSan Roque Lake. It is crossed by theSan Antonio River and theLos Chorrillos Stream. The city was founded by the rancher Carlos Nicandro Paz in 1913.
TheHang suspension bridges road was built in 1918 to link the town to the Valley Traslasierra. This was replaced in the 1950s by theCamino de las Altas Cumbres.
Villa Carlos Paz istwinned with:
 Tarija, Bolivia[1][2][3]
Tarija, Bolivia[1][2][3] Termas de Río Hondo, Argentina
Termas de Río Hondo, Argentina San Bernardino, Paraguay[4]
San Bernardino, Paraguay[4] Peschiera del Garda, Italy
Peschiera del Garda, ItalyIn 2012, an Argentinian dog named Capitán was reported to have sat every evening for six years on his owner's grave. This was compounded by the fact that the family had never brought the dog to the graveyard and the dog had managed to find it himself. The municipal cemetery's director, Héctor Baccega, said that the first time he saw the dog, he arrived at the cemetery alone. The dog then did a couple of laps around the place before finding his master's grave — all on his own. He arrives each day at 6:00 p.m.[5][6][7][8][9]
The town has been used many times as the base of theRally Argentina, with the streets of the town being a super special stage in2010. It was also a stage of the2015 and2016 Dakar Rally.
On October 11, 2023, the town was evacuated due to a wildfire threatening the city.[10]