Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
230
Pachamama Parties
This area is famous f or its street parties and thousands thr ong to Humahuaca
at Carnaval time. For 8 days the entire population dons multicolored costumes
and strums on indigenous instruments , known as erkes and charangos . They
dress up as clowns and devils and mock politicians with puppets. The festival is
a heady mix of Christianit y and I ndigenous rites, with the last da y (known as
Temptation Sunda y) seeing a shaman bur ying off erings t o P achamama
(Mother Earth) and the devil. Other popular parties are Santa Ana, on the 26th
of July, in Tilcara, and the Virgen de Copacabana, in April. Every village has its
own
fiesta patronal,
celebrating the local patr on saint. One of the most liv ely
and unusual is on the 15th of A ugust in the t own of C asabindo. Feathered
gauchos steer a bull int o an enclosure in front of the village chur ch. Wrapped
around the animal 's horns is a scar f containing money, which is the priz e to
whoever is brave enough to grab it.
the hill's facade and reveals its tapestry of colors. In front of the plaza, you cannot miss the
400-year-old
Iglesia de S anta R osa,
one of the countr y's oldest and most beautiful
churches. Continue west on RN 16 for 73km (45 miles), and y ou reach the surreal land-
scape known as
Salinas Grandes
, a dazzling salt plain that str etches for miles.
Back on R oute 9 heading nor th, after Tilcara, y ou will notice a trapez oid-shaped
monument mar king the Tropic of Capricorn. N earby y ou can visit
La G arganta del
Diablo
(Devil's Throat)
—a steep gorge with a small walkway leading along the r ock's
edge. Leave RN 9 and head east of Tilcara for a short distance. Be careful walking here,
as there is only a small r ope separating you from the depths below.
Continue north along RN 9, where you will pass the small adobe villages of Huacalera
and Uquia. A bout 42km (26 miles) nor th of Tilcara lies
Humahuaca,
a sleepy y et
enchanting village of only a couple thousand Indian residents. Its relaxed pace will make
Buenos Aires seem light-years away. Note that at an elevation of 2,700m (8,856 ft.), you
will feel a little out of br eath here, and nights ar e quite cold. Although the nearb y Inca
ruins of
Coctaca
are best explored with a tour guide, you can visit them on your own or
with a taxi ($15/£10 r ound-trip, including driv er wait time) b y following a dir t r oad
about 10km (6
1
/
4
miles) out of Humahuaca. Coctaca is a large Indian settlement that the
Spaniards discovered in the 17th century. Although the ruins are hard to distinguish from
the rocks and debris, you can make out the outlines of the terraced crop fields for which
the I ncas w ere famous. The site is surr ounded b y cacti and pr ovides ex cellent photo
opportunities.
8
4
TAFI DEL VALLE, TUCUMAN
1,299km (805 miles) NW of Buenos Aires; 406km (250 miles) S of Salta
“Why aren't the Americans coming to Tafi?” one frustrated hotelier asked me, and w ell he
should wonder. Tafi del Valle is a high-altitude oasis of rolling green hills set amid red-rock
desert. It is a r emarkable place, y et it is not on the radar of many for eign travelers except
