There are several versions about the origin of the name of the spa. One is that the name comes from an old resident of the area, called José Ignacio Sylveira; another version is that it refers to the name of a slaughterhouse or an Indian drover of the Jesuit Missions. In 1763, the Viceroy Cevallos created a stay in the area where the land belonged to the estate tax and called "José Ignacio".
In 1877, José Ignacio Lighthouse opened in order to prevent shipwrecks in the area. The company Costa y Cia. It was responsible for controlling the lighthouse, until in 1907, ended the concession and exploitation of it passed to the State. At that time the only way to access the place was on horseback, in carriages, or by sea.
José Ignacio Lighthouse is a symbol of the place, was built on the rocky peninsula protruding edge and more. Its focal height is 32.5 meters, its geographical reach of 16.5 miles, and its light scope of 9 miles.
In 1907 the surveyor Eugenio Martinez Saiz made the first subdivision of land in the resort. But only at the end of the 1920s the first houses of material and the first general store were built. In 1954 he built the road linking the resort with Route 9 and began operating the first bus service to San Carlos. In the 1960s came the first Argentine vacationers and over time the spa was the place chosen by many celebrities to build their vacation homes, which also prompted the installation of exclusive restaurants.
See more information about José Ignacio
See also information on San Carlos.