these are araucarias, patagonia's most iconic trees. because of their intricate branching, they're also known as monkey puzzles. found only in southern south america, they were once far more common. they're hanging on in a few remote spots, peppered along the slopes of patagonia's volcanoes in both chile and argentina. reaching up to 160 feet, these giants are survivors from the jurassic era more than 145 million years ago.