It is widely believed that 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.
In order to demonstrate the slight movements of the boulder, it was common practice to place bottles under its base to watch them shatter.
The "Moving Stone" toppled on February 29, 1912, and split into two pieces at the bottom of the hill.

In May 2007, a fix replica was set up in the same place where the original stood.
The replica, made by engineering students, is actually cemented in place and does not teeter the way the original did.
It is widely believed that 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. In order to demonstrate the slight movements of the boulder, it was common practice to place bottles under its base to watch them shatter. The "Moving Stone" toppled on February 29, 1912, and split into two pieces at the bottom of the hill.
In May 2007, a fix replica was set up in the same place where the original stood. The replica, made by engineering students, is actually cemented in place and does not teeter the way the original did.
Tandil