Puente del Inca

It is located near the small village of Puente del Inca [es], in Las Heras Department, Mendoza Province, Argentina.

[1] While Puente del Inca has shown signs of deterioration, it remains stable under its weight under present conditions.

[5] Situated at 2,744 m (9,003 ft) above sea level,[6] Puente del Inca has a warm-summer mediterranean continental climate (Dsb, according to the Köppen climate classification), as at least 4 months see an average temperature above 10 °C (50 °F) and at least one month sees an average temperature below 0 °C (32 °F), having dry, moderate summers and snowy winters.

Puente del Inca achieves it due to its relatively large distance from its nearest ocean—146 kilometres (91 mi); close enough to bring moisture to avoid having a cold semi-arid climate like the nearby Arid Diagonal but distant enough to increase the seasonal temperature variation—its leeward position in the Andes, and its high elevation reducing temperatures to well below that of the surrounding area.

Nevertheless, its vegetation (notably lacking the typical hemiboreal or subalpine forests) is far more consistent with a cold semi-arid climate (BSk, according to Köppen).