Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Sights
Museo de Arqueología
de Alta Montaña
MUSEUM
(MAAM;
www.maam.gob.ar
; Mitre 77; Argentines/foreigners AR$30/40; 11am-7:30pm Tue-Sun)
One of northern Argentina's premier museums, this has a serious and informative exhibi-
tion focusing on Inca culture and, in particular, the child sacrifices left on some of the
Andes' most imposing peaks.
The centerpiece of the display is the mummified body of one of three children (rotated
every six months) discovered at the peak of Llullaillaco in 1999. It was a controversial
decision to display the bodies and it is a powerful experience to come face-to-face with
them.
Intricately plaited hair and clothes are perfectly preserved, and their faces reflect -
who knows? - a distant past or a typical 21st-century Salta face; a peaceful passing or a
tortured death. You decide.
The grave goods impress by their immediacy, with colors as fresh as the day they were
produced. The
illas
(small votive figurines of animals and humans) are of silver, gold,
shell and onyx, and many are clothed in textiles. It's difficult to imagine that a more priv-
ileged look at pre-Columbian South American culture will ever be offered us. Also ex-
hibited is the 'Reina del Cerro,' a tomb-robbed mummy that ended up here after a turbu-
lent history. Good videos give background. There's a library as well as a cafe-bar with
terrace and wi-fi.
Pajcha - Museo de Arte
Étnico Americano
MUSEUM
(
www.museopajchasalta.com.ar
;
20 de Febrero 831; foreigner/Argentine AR$30/20; 10am-1pm
& 4-8pm Mon-Sat)
This eye-opening private museum is a must-see if you're interested in
indigenous art and culture. Juxtaposing archaeological finds with contemporary and re-
cent artisanal work from all over Latin America in a series of sumptuously realized dis-
plays, the museum takes an encouragingly broad view of both Andean culture and bey-
ond. It's an exquisite dose of color and beauty that is run with great enthusiasm by the
English-speaking management.
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
