By the 1920s, a tourist village called “Epecuen” was founded 570 kilometres southwest from Buenos Aires, Argentina. This small town was established near the lagoon of Epecuen. The salt levels of it were as high as those of the Dead Sea, in Israel, and 10 times higher than any ocean. Since those salt waters were said to cure skin diseases, depression, rheumatism, and even to treat the diabetes, tourists from all over the world used to come every year to treat them.
By the 1970s there were up to 250 businesses, including hotels, and museums, visited by more than 25,000 tourists every year during the summer season. In 1985, the small community was completely flooded after an unusual rainy season that broke the dam that protected the town.
In 2009, 25 years later, the water began to recede and an apocalyptic image of the town reemerged.