Sights in Northwest Argentina
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Museo de la Memoria
A chilling testament to the excesses of Argentina’s military dictatorship, this museum occupies a space formerly used as a clandestine center for detention and torture. It was operated by the dreaded Department of Intelligence (D2), a special division created in Córdoba dedicated to the kidnap and torture of suspected political agitators and the ‘reassignment’ of their children to less politically suspect families.
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Museo Histórico Provincial Marqués de Sobremonte
It’s worth dropping into this museum, one of the most important historical museums in the country, if only to see the colonial house it occupies: an 18th-century home that once belonged to Rafael Núñez, the colonial governor of Córdoba and later viceroy of the Río de la Plata. It has 26 rooms, seven interior patios, meter-thick walls and an impressive wrought-iron balcony supported by carved wooden brackets.
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Catedral
The enormous and spectacular neo-Byzantine 1899 catedral contains the image of patron saint Nicolás de Bari, an object of devotion for both riojanos (people who live in La Rioja) and the inhabitants of neighboring provinces.
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Casa de Joaquín V González
One of Argentina's greatest educators, and founder of the Universidad de La Plata, lived in the Casa de Joaquín V González.
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Parque Nacional Calilegua
Receiving 1000mm to 1800mm of precipitation a year, but with a defined winter dry season, Calilegua comprises a variety of ecosystems. The transitional selva (jungle), from 350m to 500m above sea level, consists of tree species common in the Gran Chaco, such as deciduous lapacho and palo amarillo. Between 550m and 1600m, the cloud forest forms a dense canopy of trees more than 30m tall, punctuated by ferns, epiphytes and lianas, often mist-covered.
Above 1200m, the montane forest is composed of conifers, aliso and queñoa. Above 2600m this grades into moist grasslands, which become drier as one proceeds west toward the Quebrada de Humahuaca.
The 230 bird species at home in…
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Pucará
The reconstructed pre-Columbian fortification, the pucará, is 1km south of the center across an iron bridge. Its situation is undeniably strategic, commanding the river valley both ways and, though the site was undoubtedly used before, the ruins date from the 11th to 15th centuries. The 1950s reconstruction has taken liberties; worse yet is the earlier, ridiculous monument to pioneering archaeologists bang where the plaza would have been. Nevertheless, you can get a feel of what would have been a sizable fortified community. Most interesting is the ‘church, ’ a building with a short paved walkway to an altar; note the niche in the wall alongside. The site itself has grea…
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Museo del Cablecarril
The fascinating Museo del Cablecarril and cablecar station documents an extraordinary engineering project that gave birth to the town of Chilecito at the beginning of the 20th century. To enable the mining of gold, silver and copper from the Sierra de Famatina, a German firm was contracted to construct a cablecar running from here, at the end of the railway line, to La Mejicana, at an altitude of 4603m, more than 3.5km above Chilecito and nearly 40km away. With nine stations, a tunnel and 262 towers, the project was completed in 1904. Men and supplies were carried to the mine, operated by a British firm, in four hours. WWI put an end to this Anglo-German cooperation and t…
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Cripta Jesuítica
The Jesuits, at the beginning of the 18th century, built the Cripta Jesuítica. It was originally designed as a novitiate and later converted to a crypt and crematorium. Abandoned after the Jesuit expulsion, it was demolished and buried around 1829 when the city, while expanding Av Colón, knocked the roof into the subterranean naves and built over the entire structure. It remained all but forgotten until Telecom, while laying underground telephone cable in 1989, accidentally ran into it. The city, with a new outlook on such treasures, exquisitely restored the crypt and uses it regularly for musical and theatrical performances and art exhibits. Entrances lie on either side…
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El Shincal
Seven kilometers west of Londres, the Inca ruins of El Shincal are well worth visiting. Founded in 1470, the town occupied a commanding position in the foothills of the mountains, surveying the vast valley to the south. The setting is spectacular, with fantastic views and great atmosphere. The site was pretty thoroughly ruined when excavations began in 1991, but the ushno (ceremonial platform) and kallanka (possibly a barracks) have been restored, and you can climb two hillocks on either side of the central square. Aligned to the rising and setting sun, they probably served as both lookouts and altars. Entrance usually includes a tour by one of the welcoming family that l…
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Pajcha – Museo de Arte Étnico Americano
This eye-opening private museum is a must-see if you’re interested in indigenous art and culture. Six exquisitely presented rooms present contemporary and recent artisanal work from all over Latin America. The quality of the pieces (which include amazing macaw-feather creations, religious sculpture from the Cuzco school, tools of the trade of Bolivian kallawaya healers and finely crafted Mapuche silver jewelry) is extraordinarily high, testament to decades of study and collection by the anthropologist founder. It’s an exquisite dose of color and beauty, and run with great enthusiasm by the English-speaking management, who will give you a worthwhile guided tour for an ex…
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Tren a las Nubes
From Salta, the Tren a las Nubes (Train to the Clouds) ascends the multicolored Quebrada del Toro, continuing past the important ruins of Tastil. The track makes countless switchbacks and even spirals, passing through 21 tunnels more than 3000m (9842ft) in total length, and crossing 31 iron bridges and 13 viaducts.
The trip's highlight is a stunning viaduct which is 64m (210ft) high and 224m (735ft) long, and spans an enormous desert canyon at La Polvorilla - a magnificent engineering achievement unjustified on any reasonable economic grounds. At Abra Chorillos, an altitude of 4575m (15,010ft) makes this the fourth highest operating line in the world.
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Museo Histórico del Norte
Set on the plaza in the cabildo, the Museo Histórico del Norte has a collection that ranges from pre-Columbian ceramics through to colonial-era religious painting and sculpture (admire the fine pulpit from Salta’s Jesuit church), and displays on Salta in the 19th and 20th centuries. The endless series of portraits of Salta’s governors wouldn’t be out of place in a beard-and-moustache museum, while the transportation collection includes a somber hearse used for children’s funerals and an enormous 1911 Renault that puts any Hummer to shame. The building itself, with cobbled patio and gallery overlooking the plaza, is lovely.
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Reserva del Huaico
This 60-hectare cloud forest reserve is in San Lorenzo, 8km west of Salta, and run by a not-for-profit nature foundation. Entry is by appointment only and includes a four-hour guided walk along the reserve’s 15km of trails. Despite Salta’s proximity, the bird-watching is extraordinarily good: more than 205 species have been recorded, with 100 of those – including guans, tanagers, parrots, hummingbirds and woodpeckers – all common. A taxi from Salta costs AR$20, or you can get any San Lorenzo–bound bus (AR$1.25). Get off at the municipalidad (city hall) and it’s a 1km walk along Mariano Moreno to the reserve.
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Museo Folklórico
The hugely worthwhile Museo Folklórico is set in a wonderful early-17th-century adobe building, and has fine displays on various aspects of the region’s culture. Themes include chaya (local La Rioja music) and the Tinkunaco festival, weaving (with bright traditional wallhangings colored with plant extracts) and winemaking. The lagar (stretched leather used for treading the grapes) is quite a sight, as is the room that deals with mythology, including a demanding series of rituals required to sell your soul to the devil hereabouts. The informative guided tour is excellent if your Spanish is up to it.
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Museo Arqueológico Adán Quiroga
The fine Museo Arqueológico Adán Quiroga is reason enough to come to Catamarca if you have an interest in Argentine indigenous culture. A superb collection of pre-Columbian ceramics from several different cultures and eras is on display. Some – in particular the black Aguada ceramics with their incised, stylized animal decoration – is of truly remarkable quality. A couple of dehydrated mummies found at 5000m are also present, as well as a spooky shrunken head from the Amazon, and trays used to snort lines of rape (finely ground tobacco). There’s also a colonial and religious section.
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Parque Nacional Finca El Rey
Confined to a narrow strip no wider than about 50km (31mi), Argentina's subtropical humid forests extend from the Bolivian frontier south of Tarija almost to the border of Tucumán and Catamarca provinces. Comprising 44,000 hectares (108,726 acres), Parque Nacional Finca El Rey is the southernmost Argentine park protecting this unusual habitat, the most biologically diverse in the country.
The best time to visit the national park is between April and October - it's a bit cooler, but much drier! For all inquiries, contact the park office in Salta (España 366, 3rd fl).
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Universidad Nacional de Córdoba
In 1613 Fray Fernando de Trejo y Sanabria founded the Seminario Convictorio de San Javier, which, after being elevated to university status in 1622, became the Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. The university is the country’s oldest and contains, among other national treasures, part of the Jesuits’ Grand Library and the Museo Histórico de la Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Guided visits are the only way to see the inside and are well worth taking. The guides let you wander through the Colegio and peek into the classrooms while students run around.
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Samay Huasi
Joaquín V González, writer and founder of the prestigious La Plata university in Buenos Aires, used Samay Huasi, a finca (ranch) 2km from Chilecito, as his country retreat. The verdant grounds counterpoint the rocky cactus hills around them. González’ bedroom is preserved, as well as scrapbook material from his life. More interesting is a collection of paintings, mostly of the area; a canvas by González’ friend Alberto Alice, Claro de Luna, stands out. Below is a somewhat depressing natural sciences, archaeology and mineralogy collection.
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Museo Arqueológico Provincial
The Museo Arqueológico Provincial is definitely worth a visit. The standout exhibit is a vivid 3000-year-old fertility goddess figure, depicted with snakes for hair and in the act of giving birth. She’s a product of the advanced San Francisco culture, which existed in Las Yungas from about 1400 BC to 800 BC. There’s also a selection of skulls with cranial deformities (practiced for cosmetic reasons) and mummified bodies displayed with what might have been their typical possessions. Staff hand out a booklet that has information in English.
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Iglesia Catedral
The construction of Córdoba’s cathedral began in 1577 and dragged on for more than two centuries under several architects, including Jesuits and Franciscans, and though it lacks any sense of architectural unity, it’s a beautiful structure. Crowned by a Romanesque dome, it overlooks Plaza San Martín. The lavish interior was painted by renowned cordobés (Córdoban) painter Emilio Caraffa. Guided visits leave hourly between 9am and 5pm from Psje Santa Catalina 61, the entry on the north side of the cathedral.
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La Polvorilla
There's little to see in town - though the sunsets are spectacular - but 16km to the west is the viaduct at La Polvorilla, last stop of the Tren a las Nubes at 4200m above sea level. Though it seems underwhelming at first glimpse, it's very impressive once you get up close. From the parking lot, which has a couple of artesanía shops, you can climb up a zigzag path to the top of the viaduct and walk across it - watch the power lines! Remises in San Antonio charge about Arg$30 for the return journey.
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Catedral Basílica de Nuestra Señora del Valle
Dating from 1859, Catamarca’s Catedral Basílica de Nuestra Señora del Valle shelters the Virgen del Valle, who is the patron of Catamarca and one of northern Argentina’s most venerated images since the 17th century. The atmospheric cathedral also contains an elaborately carved altar to St Joseph, an ornate baroque pulpit and an exhibition of paintings of the Virgin. The cathedral overlooks Plaza 25 de Mayo, a truly beautiful square filled with robust jacaranda, araucaria, citrus and palm trees.
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Casa de la Independencia
Unitarist lawyers and clerics (Federalists boycotted the meeting) declared Argentina’s independence from Spain on July 9, 1816, in the dazzlingly whitewashed late-colonial Casa de la Independencia. Portraits of the signatories line the walls of the room where the declaration was signed, the only actual original part of the structure – the rest has been rebuilt. There’s plenty of information in Spanish on the lead-up to these seismic events, but you can also get a guided tour (free) in English.
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Chirau-Mita
Even if you're not a fan of succulents, it's likely that you'll appreciate Chirau-Mita, an impressive cactus garden a short stroll from town, where more than 1500 species have been grown from seeds and are elegantly showcased, divided by country of origin, in an attractive hillside setting.
Entry is by informative guided tour (some English spoken), and the visit includes a handsomely presented museum, which has some stunning Patagonian fossils, prehistoric weapons and tools, and pre-Columbian ceramics.
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Museo Municipal de Bellas Artes Dr Genaro Pérez
This museum is prized for its collection of paintings from the 19th and 20th centuries. Works, including those by Emilio Caraffa, Lucio Fontana, Lino Spilimbergo, Antonio Berni and Antonio Seguí, chronologically display the history of the cordobés school of painting, at the front of which stands Genaro Pérez himself. The museum is housed in Palacio Garzón, an unusual late-19th-century building named for its original owner; it also has outstanding changing contemporary art exhibits.
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