>>2818944
>>2818885
The correct classification of Mendoza is semi-arid, this is what you will find on every textbook, to be classified as a "desert" a region needs less than 250 mm of rainfall per year, consistently. Mendoza gets 200-400 mm of rainfall depending on the year so it doesn't really fit this definition precisely. Otherwise it wouldn't be a major wine-producing region since forever.

If you want to be precise, the climate on Mendoza is very varied, and inside the province you will find both areas with semi-arid steppe climate (BSk), cold mountain climate (Dsb, Dsc), mediterranean climate (Csb), (basically all these areas are where the people live and the major cities are) and yes, desert. (BWk - Cold arid), and (BWh - hot desert) on the northern bit. Take a note of how small the "hot desert environment - Bwh" is, you are depicting the whole province like that. But the proper monte desert environment of Argentina is considered to begin further north in San Juan, La Rioja, Catamarca.

Calling it a desert is hyperbolic and ridiculous, it's not much hotter than Chile, as your source pointed out it's only 3° C hotter (I love that someone called you out on it already) than Chile at the same latitude, it's significantly dryier but not enough to be consistently defined as desert.

I was on Mendoza in January (the hottest month of the year) and I didn't find it "unbearable". It was hot but not stifling. OP could also go at any other time of the year and not have to deal with summer if that's your concern. March should already be much milder. Beyond March it's literally cool-cold and it snows.