Mestizo Uruguay has overwhelmingly become white and European (some Middle Eastern) in culture and tradition. Because of this, the term mestizo has fallen into disuse. Northern Argentina still has a predominately mestizo population, especially in the provinces of Jujuy, Salta, Tucumán, Santiago del Estero, Catamarca, La Rioja, San Juan, Mendoza, Chaco, Formosa, Corrientes, Santa Fe and Misiones, where there is also a significant population of Indigenous peoples. In Chile, from the time the Spanish soldiers with Pedro de Valdivia entered northern Chile, a process of 'mestizaje' began where white Spaniards began to mate with the local bellicose Mapuche population of Amerindians
Climatic regions of Argentina temperate and arid with large thermal amplitudes, long summers, and a long frost free period which varies by altitude. In both the Quebrada de Humahuaca and Calchaquí valleys, winters are cold with frosts that can occur between March and September. In the valleys in the south in La Rioja and Catamarca Provinces, along with the southwest parts of Santiago del Estero Province, temperatures during the summer are very high averaging in January, while winters are mild averaging . Temperatures can exceed during the summer, particularly in the central valley of Catamarca (Valle Central de Catamarca) and the valley of La