Before the arrival of the
conquistadores in the 16th Century the area was populated by ethnic
Sanavirónes and
Mocovíes. In the 18th Century the Spanish established a fortress called
Los Morteros on a rocky outcrop, the principal function of the fortress was to defend the local territory. It lay on an alternative route to the mining region of
Potosí in
Peru, it was used as a market for contraband such as slaves to work in the mines and silver. Fortress Los Morteros and the local area were recaptured by the indigenous population after the
May Revolution, although the Sanavirónes had been virtually extinguished, Mocovíes and
Abipones moved into the area. The European Argentines launched a counter-offensive and reclaimed the territory in the middle of the century. The indigenous population suffered a great deal from the ethnic cleansing campaigns of the mid 19th century. In 1891 the first railway arrived in Morteros, the railway brought a large number of European immigrants from the
Piamonte,
Friuli and
Toscana in
Italy. In 1965 Morteros acquired its status as a city. ==Economy==