Puelches is a village and rural locality (municipality) lying on the National Route 152 in La Pampa Province in Argentina.

In 1941, the Governor of the province, Miguel Duval, proposed to rename it Coronel Bedoya to honor one of the officers who participated in the Conquest of the Desert.

The proposal met criticism and it was decided to keep the original name which refers to the native Puelche people that inhabited the area before the arrival of the Argentine Army.

In the 16th century, the Mapuche started their expansion into the area, assimilating the then-local hunting-gathering tribes, who called themselves gününa-këna, into their culture.

[4] In the early years of the 20th century Spanish and French settlers came into the region and integrated with the remaining locals and the creole population.

Into the 1940s the region flourished as the growing flow of the Salado River enabled activities such as cattle farming, fishing and mining.

Despite being located in a livestock farming area, the town's economy is based on salt production, taking place in the nearby evaporation ponds.