The Moving Stone / Piedra Movediza de Tandil, Argentina
Tandil, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina: The name of the city comes from the Mapuche words tan (“falling”), and lil (“rock”). It is probably a reference to the Piedra Movediza (“Moving Stone”), a large boulder which stood seemingly miraculously balanced on the edge of a rocky foothill. The Moving Stone toppled on February 29, 1912, and split into two pieces at the bottom of the hill. Some people thought that tan in fact meant “moving”. In order to demonstrate the slight movements of the boulder, it was common practice to place bottles or some other things under its base to see them break.
Tandil, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina, 1890
* As of May 2007, a replica was set up in the same place where the original stood. Although the replica was made by engineering students,
it is cemented in place and does not teeter the way the original did. It is a “moving rock” that does not move.
Also:
