Gaiman is a town in the Chubut Province of Patagonia in Argentina. It has a population of about 6,000 as per the 2001census [INDEC]. It is located close to the River Chubut, about 15 km west of Trelew. Gaiman is a cultural and demographic centre of the region known in Welsh as Y Wladfa, in which Welsh-Argentinians are concentrated. The town was founded in 1874 by settlers from Wales and the Central of Chubut Railway arrived in 1908 connecting it to Trelew. Several hundred people in the region have conserved the use of the Welsh language alongside Spanish. The 'Eisteddfod de Chubut', a Welsh cultural festival, is held here every October. The town is welcoming of tourists, and Welsh teahouses (tai te) are numerous. The Museo Histórico Regional (Historical Regional Museum) commemorates local history (the signs are bilingual in Spanish and Welsh). There are a number of Welsh Protestant chapels, of which the largest is Capel Bethel. Some 10 km to the south of Gaiman is Bryn Gwyn, where a large number of fossils can be seen. The town's name originates in an indigenous Tehuelche place-name meaning "rocky point".
