The town, at an altitude of 900 metres (3,000 ft) above mean sea level, is located on the right shore of Agrio River at the Andean foothills.

The Cuchillo Curá range, considered the most important underground ecosystem in Argentina, extends approximately 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) from Las Lajas.

Governor Alsina and the inhabitants of the town requested to move the National Territory's capital from Chos Malal to Las Lajas.

The soils of the area remain unexplored, and for the lack of technical information, subsequently the oil and natural gas invest in locations such as Loma de La Lata.

Archeological evidences found at Mallín del Tromen suggest that the Picunches Department was populated at around 4500 BP.

[1] Before the Araucanization of Patagonia, which took place sometime between 1550 and 1850, this region of the current Neuquén Province was inhabited by Picunche and Pehuenches natives.

[2] In 1788, the first expedition into the territory of the current province reached the Las Lajas area under order of commander Francisco Esquivel y Aldao, who traveled 2,000 kilometres (1,243 mi) from Mendoza with his men.

[5] On 8 February 1897, the Argentinian Army's 4th Division Commander General Enrique Godoy ordered the establishment of the town as the headquarters of the 8 and 9 Cavalry Regiments.

[8] The capital was ultimately moved to Neuquén city in 1902 with the support of Carlos Governor Bouquet Roldán and landowners of the Confluencia Department.

[10] In 1996, a popular but unsuccessful riot tried to prevent the closure of the 21 Mountain Infantry Regiment which was crucial to the town's economy.

[21] The other important cave in the area is the Cueva del León, which is situated on the Crodón Curimil to 15 kilometres (9 mi) from the town.

[24] The closing of Argentina Army's 21 Mountain Infantry in the late 1990s caused the closure of businesses and emigration of inhabitants to other towns.

Although the Regiment's positive impact on the town's economy, it produced a lower income with a personnel of 250 soldiers as of 2011 in comparison to the 1,000 men who served there prior to its closure.

[5] Since the area's soil remains unexplored and lacks availability of technical information, the oil and natural gas companies opt for investing in known and traditional locations like Loma de La Lata.

[25] The town's economy saw itself benefited by the installment of the CNSA Espacio Lejano deep space station, located in Bajada del Agrio, about 60 km on the provincial route 33.

[26] Although the Chinese staff of the station rarely visits the town, María Espinosa, the mayor by 2019, noted that the facilities have had a positive impact on the local economy.

And, since Las Lajas is a speleology center, the museum also exhibits photos of the Cuchillo Curá y Cueva del León cave systems.

The shores of the Agrio River and of the Liu Cullín and Las Lajitas creeks are popular spots for camping and fishing.