Tilcara, Huacalera, Uquia and Hornocal

Tourist sites in Northern Argentina

 

November 2022

 

by Ravi Chandra Gundakaram

 

Pucará de Tilcara:

If you are discussing with someone about the history of South America, especially of the countries of Peru, Bolivia and Argentina, it will become apparent that the time of the Incas is special. Very soon, you will hear the phrases ‘before Inca’ and ‘after Inca’. Thus, anything pre-Inca is very important. In the town of Tilcara, province of Jujuy, there is a pucará, which means ‘pre-Inca’ settlement (thus the name pucará de Tilcara). I happened to visit the area twice but was out of luck both the times. The first time, it was ‘Teachers’Day’ and so the place was closed. And the second time, it was due to work being carried out. However, as it is an open area, you can see the reconstructed settlements from a distance without actually having to enter the premises.

At the entrance, you will see a board mentioning ‘Universidad de Buenos Aires’. What is the connection to the University? It seems a faculty member and his student working in the area rediscovered the settlement in 1908 and catalogued many objects found there. Thus, the area is monitored by University to this day.

The entrance to Pucará de Tilcara.


The view inside Pucará.


View of the area, showing the ancient edifices (reconstructed recently, of course).


Close-up view of the ancient constructions. In the foreground is a garden of cactuses.


Huacalera and the Tropic of Capricorn Marker:

An interesting tourist site is the Tropic of Capricorn marker, which is close to the town of Huacalera. One might wonder what is so special about the tropics of Cancer and Capricorn. These are respectively the northernmost and southernmost latitudes where the sun can be seen overhead. This means that if you were to go south of the Tropic of Capricorn, you will never see the sun overhead at noon! The further you move south, the further the sun will be away from the zenith. Having crossed the Tropic of Cancer, which passes just south of the town of Krishnanagar in the state of West Bengal in India, it was interesting to cross the Tropic of Capricorn too!

The Tropic of Capricorn marker in northern Argentina, close to the town of Huacalera.


Yours Truly at the Tropic of Capricorn marker, with the sun dial in the background.


The Sun Dial, close to the marker. An Apacheta can be seen in the foreground. (Please see the blog on Purmamarca for a brief description of Apacheta).


Shops selling local pottery and other items. The marker and the sun dial are visible to the right and to the back.


A vendor with her wares. I did wonder if she appreciated the importance of the location. My Spanish is too elementary to ask her!



Uquía and Templo de la Santa Cruz:

On the way to Hornocal is the small town of Uquía with its amazing ‘Templo de la Santa Cruz and San Francisco de Paula’. Built in 1691, it is certainly one of the oldest colonial constructions in the northern part of Argentina. There are several original centuries-old paintings in the Church and the pity is that they wouldn’t allow photography inside. There is a sign that is a homage from the village of Uquía to its Temple for its ‘Thee centuries of fertile work in Evangelization’.


The white bell tower of the Church is seen below the centre of this photograph, with the coloured mountains and the lovely blue sky as the backdrop.


View of the Church, painted in dazzling white, from the approach road.


View from the side.


The wooden entrance to the Church.


Detail of the bell tower.


Shops in front of the Church selling clothes, pottery and locally made items. The prices are said to be the lowest in the ravine and surrounding areas!



Humahuaca, and the Serranía de Hornocal:

Further north from Tilcara is the town of Humahuaca, and the Serranía de Hornocal, a mountain range located some 15 km east of the town. The mountains are known for their colourful slopes. There is a viewpoint named ‘Mirador a la cercanía de los 14 Colores del Hornocal’. Thus, you can see the hillsides in 14 colours! If you can walk a couple of hundred metres from the viewpoint, you will come to the slope from which a portion of the mountains is clearly visible. Most people seem content to go only as far as the viewpoint, though.

The entrance to the community of Hornocal.


Panoramic view of the 14 colours of Serranía de Hornocal, as seen from the viewpoint. The small path to the left of the photograph leads to a slope, from which the mountainside can be seen better.


Close up view of the colourful mountainsides.


Further close up. Do try to distinguish the 14 different colours!


Looking at the viewpoint from the slope!

Not only is the approach road winding, but also the sides are steep in some places. Since the road is unpaved, the vehicle in front kicks up a lot of dust. To avoid this, your driver will probably try to overtake it, bringing you closer to the edge! But he will most probably say, “Stay calm!”

The approach road. 

Just before you start the ascent, you will come across constructions like the one in the next photograph. Maybe it was built by the Incas and has stood the test of time. More likely it was built in later centuries, but following the pattern of the Inca houses.

Inca house.

While returning to Salta, the driver took a route 9 through the countryside, passing by Dique de Cienaga. Here are a couple of photographs from the beautiful area!

A view of the dam.


Another view of the water.

Erythrina crista-galli is a flowering tree native to Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil and Paraguay. In South America it's known as ceibo, seíbo and bucaré while in English it is often known as the Cockspur Coral Tree. The flower of this tree is the national flower of Argentina and Uruguay.

The National Flower of Argentina. This tree was near the dam.


Close-up of the flower.



For the past several posts, we have been visiting sites north of Salta. In the next couple of blogs, lets travel a bit south of the city!
Location: Serranía de Hornocal, Jujuy, Argentina

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