ARGENTINA REGION BY REGION - Argentina - page 198

f Monumento
Natural Laguna de
los Pozuelos
Road map B1. 30 miles (48km) NW
of Iruya. Te l [phone]. @ n
Macedonio Gras 141, Abra Pampa,
[phone]. Open 8am-3pm daily.
by prior arrangement.

Situated in a natural basin
between Sierra de Cochinoca
and Sierra de Rinconada, this
remote wildlife preserve rises
11,810 ft (3,600 m) above sea
level. Spread over an area of
58 sq miles (153 sq km), the
park is one of the most import-
ant wetlands in South America.
Although it has shrunk in
recent years after a few dry
summers, the park's lagoon
still takes up about half the
total area. It is the habitat of
large flocks of Andean
flamingos and numerous other
species of wildfowl including
teals and avocets. Shy ñandús
(lesser rheas) can also be
spotted scuttling away for cover.
The best way to observe these
birds at close quarters is by
walking through the park from
its entrance rather than driving.
The park can be accessed at any
time but it is advisable to drop
in at the guardería (ranger
station), which is located on
the south side of the lake, for a
chat with the knowledgeable
and welcoming guardaparques
(park rangers).

The picturesque Humahuaca nestled in the Andean hills

Humahuaca
78 miles (125 km) N of Jujuy. *
12,000. @ Iglesia de la Candelaria y
San Antonio Buenos Aires 383. Open
9:30am-noon & 4-7pm Mon-Fri.
∑ ciudadhumahuaca.com
Founded in 1591, Humahuaca
is the largest town between
San Salvador de Jujuy and
the Bolivian border. It has a
picturesque town center, and its
narrow, roughly paved streets
and rustic adobe houses are
classically Andean.
The town's star attraction is
Iglesia de la Candelaria y San
Antonio , also a National
Historical Monument. This
striking white church was built
by the Jesuits toward the end
of the 17th century, and has
undergone extensive
restoration after it was largely
destroyed by an earthquake in
1873. The interior is richly
ornamented, with two rococo
altarpieces depicting various
Biblical events. Other artworks
in the church include the series
called The Twelve Prophets ,
completed in 1764 by well-
known Cusco School artist
Marcos Sapaca.
The handicraft shops in town,
well-stocked with souvenirs,
and the tiny folk music venues
are highly popular with tourists.
Humahuaca is also a good
base from which to explore
the haunting landscapes of
Puna Jujeña, an area of wild
highland, lagoons filled with
pink flamingos, and tiny mud-
brick hamlets.

Iruya
44 miles (70 km) N of Humahuaca.
* 1,200. @ ∑ iruyaonline.com
Overlooking the river of the
same name, Iruya is a beautiful
Andean hamlet located 9,120 ft
(2,780 m) above sea level. Time
seems to pass slowly here, and
the fortified walls, cobblestoned
streets, and whitewashed adobe
dwellings are much as they
have always been.
The village's focal point is its
church, the colonial Iglesia de
Nuestra Señora del Rosario y
San Roque . Here, on the first
Sunday of October, the feast of
Our Lady of the Rosary is held, a
surreal procession of masked
figures that blends elements
from Easter festivals and pre-
conquest animistic rituals.

g Yavi
Road map B1. 195 miles (314 km) N of
Jujuy. * 300. @
Another sleepy high-plains
hamlet of sloping cobblestoned
streets and adobe houses, Yavi
also seems to have given
modernity the slip. The village
dates from the late 17th century
when nobleman Juan
Fernández Campero, the first
Marqués del Valle del Tojo in
Spain, married into the area's
landholding family. In 1708,
Spain's King Phillip V named him
Marqués of Tojo, a unique honor
in colonial Argentina. The well-
preserved 18th-century family
home, Casa del Marqués de

View of Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del
Rosario y San Roque
For hotels and restaurants see pp278-83 and pp288-99