Laguna de los Padres is a small lake located about eight miles west of Mar del Plata, Argentina and roughly one mile east of Sierra de los Padres' hills. The name of the lake as well as of the hills nearby has its origins in the Jesuit Fathers (Padres) attempting to evangelize the region in the 17th century. The lake has a length of 2,055 mt (6,884 feet) and a width of 1,701 mt (5,670 feet). Its water is shallow and the aquatic flora (algae, rushes and another species like the gambarussa) overpopulates the muddy bottom. Woods of eucalyptus and laurel surround the adjacent area, as well as some aboriginal shrub, like the curro. The place had been open to the public since 1946. Sport fishing is the main recreational activity, and there is a wharf for row boats in a small island linked to land by a causeway.