Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Difunta literally means 'defunct,' and Correa is her surname. Technically she is
not a saint but rather a 'soul,' a dead person who performs miracles and intercedes
for people; the child's survival was the first of a series of miracles attributed to her.
Since the 1940s her shrine, originally a simple hilltop cross, has grown into a small
village with its own gas station, school, post office, police station and church. De-
votees leave gifts at 17 chapels or exhibit rooms in exchange for supernatural fa-
vors. In addition, there are two hotels, several restaurants, a commercial gallery
with souvenir shops, and offices for the nonprofit organization that administers the
site.
Interestingly, truckers are especially devoted. From La Quiaca, on the Bolivian
border, to Ushuaia in Tierra del Fuego, you will see roadside shrines with images of
the Difunta Correa and the unmistakable bottles of water left to quench her thirst.
At some sites there appear to be enough parts lying around to build a car from
scratch!
Despite lack of government support and the Catholic Church's open antagon-
ism, the shrine of Difunta Correa has grown as belief in her miraculous powers has
become more widespread. People visit the shrine all year round, but at Easter, May
1 and Christmas, up to 200,000 pilgrims descend on Vallecito. Weekends are
busier and more interesting than weekdays.
There are regular departures to Vallecito from San Juan and Mendoza.
Calingasta
02648 / POP 2200 / ELEV 1430M
Calingasta is a small agricultural town shaded by álamos (poplars) on the shores of Río
de los Patos. There's little to do, though a visit to the 17th-century adobe chapel
Capilla
de Nuestra Señora del Carmen
makes a nice stop on the way to Barreal. Looming on
the horizon 7km out of town is
Cerro El Calvario
, the site of an indigenous cemetery
where several mummies have been found. One example can be seen in Calingasta's small
archaeological museum
(admission AR$10;
10am-1pm & 4-8pm Tue-Sat)
, just off the
main plaza.
The folks at Calingasta's
tourist information office
( 02648-441066;
www.calingastaturismo.gov.ar
; RP12; 8am-8pm)
, at the entrance to town from San Juan,
are helpful for sights and lodging in the area.
If you wish to spend the night, lay your head at the modest
Hospedaje Nora
(
02648-421027; cnr Cantoni & Sarmiento; r per person AR$150 )
, featuring simple but spacious
rooms in a family house. Those in the building out the back are a better deal. There's a
municipal campground
(campsites AR$35)
down by the river. The meals at
La Morocha
