Punta Mogotes Lighthouses, Maritime navigational tower in Mar del Plata, Argentina.
Punta Mogotes Lighthouse is an iron tower standing on a rocky promontory south of Mar del Plata's main harbor. Its red and white horizontal bands make it easily recognizable from the water and the surrounding shoreline.
The lighthouse began guiding ships in 1891 and played a crucial role in establishing Mar del Plata as a modern port. French engineers developed its design, bringing international maritime technology to Argentina's coast.
The name comes from the "mogotes", flat Tertiary-era hills that continue under the sea; before 1880 the area was called Lobería Grande for its sea lion colonies. Since September 2014 the grounds house the Espacio para la Memoria on the site of the former ESIM, a clandestine detention centre during the 1976 dictatorship, open for guided and self-guided visits.
The lighthouse is best viewed from the rocky area nearby or from the coastal path that runs along the southern beach. You can observe it clearly from both land and water, making it easy to spot during a coastal walk.
The lighthouse's radio beacon has transmitted the letters "PM" in Morse code since 1934, and an automatic identification system now supplements the light. The light itself shows a 1.5-second white flash every 19 seconds, reaching 25 nautical miles, with a reserve light of 12 nautical miles.
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