Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
s
Street-by-Street: Salta
Many of Salta's well-preserved colonial gems are centered
around Plaza 9 de Julio and a short stroll takes visitors down
streets lined with churches and civic buildings, as well as
handsome 18th- and 19th-century town houses. When the
town was founded in 1582, the plaza was sited here to
provide an outpost with strategic views over the surrounding
plain. Natural moats, long since covered over in the
microcentro
, were another factor that made the city an
attractive settlement. The main cathedral,
cabildo
, and the
city's cultural center are all on the plaza, and the most striking
church, Iglesia San Francisco, is two blocks east.
.
Catedral Basílica de Salta
This Neo-Classical cathedral dates
from 1882, the third centenary of
the city.
Museo de Arqueología de Alta Montaña de Salta
An ancient mummy discovered in the Andes, a ceramics
collection, and Carnaval masks are the highlights of
this museum dedicated to pre-Columbian cultures of
the Northwest.
Casa de Gobierno
Now a cultural center that goes by
the grand name of Casa Cultural
América, this striking building, built
in 1913 in the French style, was once
the headquarters of the provincial
government.
Cabildo de Salta
,
built
in the 17th century, is
a
beautifully restored
whitewashed structure
that houses an
eclectic collection of
religious art and
archaeological finds.
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50
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For hotels and restaurants see pp278-83 and pp288-99
