This town is the entrance door to the valleys of Paravachasca and Calamuchita, being located at only 37 kilometres from the Capital City of the Province over an ample horseshoe-shaped valley surrounded by mountain ranges, standing out from other localities due to its historic richness.

The city of Alta Gracia was the centre of an important aboriginal settlement, and the grounds over which was raised one of the most important Jesuit ranches of the Province with the name of Estancia Jesuitica de Alta Gracia. Its reveries, along with those of the tumultuous times known as the Revolucion de Mayo, are kept within the walls of the Virrey de Liniers Museum.

Until the arrival of the Spaniards in the year of 1588, these territories were the homeland of the Comechingones indigenes. A ranch house was the first edifice ever to be built in here by Europeans, and, after a period through which several landlords consecutively owned it, the Villa itself was born with the name of Alta Gracia.

The town attracted many renowned characters, which sought the charming of its early 20th century buildings.

It was Alonso Nieto who first bestowed the name of Altagracia, on behalf of the patroness saint of the town of Algarrovillas de Alconetar in Spain. Later on, and under the influence of the Jesuits, the Villa achieved a great thrust. The construction of the Church began in 1643, being followed after 1659 by the Morada de Estudiantes, the Obraje, the Portada, the Ranchería, the Mirador and the Tajamar. On January 1900 the Provincial Government established the Municipality and, on June of 1940, Alta Gracia was acknowledged with the status of 'City'.

During the early years of the twentieth century with the arrival of the railways, it was a place fancied by many families from the City of Buenos Aires, in what still constitutes the splendour epoch of the Sierra Hotel, an important building that still waits to be properly refurbished.

At Alta Gracia, the visitor will be greeted by some excellent lodging facilities, a great variety of local food and a remarkable cultural circuit, besides cinemas, a casino, two beautiful golf courses -one within the City limits and the other one at the Potrerillo de Larreta- and a great amount of touring programs, which will allow you to make field excursions or any other alternative excursions.

The Alta Gracia Stream flows across the City, forming a lot of broad beaches where the visitor will be able to walk by, rest upon, or maybe to enjoy making a picnic under the shades of its ancient trees.

At the region of Bosque Alegre, 25 kilometres away from Alta Gracia, the Astrophysics Observatory of the Universidad Nacional de Cordoba and the Ground Station for Satellite Communications stand at close distance one to the other, being an interesting visit to achieve.

At the Sierra del Tala and over 1,290 metres above sea level stands the Astronomical Observatory in a place called Bosque Alegre. At a distance of five kilometres from this place is located the Satellite Ground Station, linking us with the rest of the world.

After we leave this beautiful locality behind, the highlander landscape keeps its way alongside the shores of Los Molinos Lake.

WHAT TO VISIT

House of Manuel de Falla Municipal Museum: It is located within the Los Espinillos Chalet. This was the last abode of the famed Spanish musician and composer Manuel de Falla, born in the City of Cadiz, who spent the last years of his life in this house until this death.
Visits: All days between 9:00 am and 9:00 pm.

Museum of the City: This late 19th century building, which belonged to the artist Andres Piñero, will provide us with an ample picture of the history of the city as well as several other exhibits.
Visits: All days between 9:00 am and 9:00 pm.

Public Clock Watch
This place was built in the year of 1938, during the jubilee for the 350 aniversary of Alta Gracia. It is the present location for the tourist office of the town.

Surroundings

The Jesuit Ranch of La Residencia
It is nowadays known as the Historic Museum Casa del Virrey Liniers, which was built by the Jesuits in the 17th century and later on declared Cultural Patrimony of Mankind by the UNESCO. It was the residence of the Viceroy of Liniers, and the building is now connected to El Obraje (1643), the Parochial Church Nuestra Señora de la Merced (1643 - 1762) and the ruins of the Molino Harinero (Flour Mill). The Jesuits with the helping hands of black men and the indigenes did all of these constructions.

At this historical compound takes place every year the National Assembly of Cooperatives during the first week of February. It also gathers a lot of pilgrims, who come to the Virgen de Lourdes Cave around its festivity day on February 11th.

Jesuit Compound of Alta Gracia

Parochial Church of Nuestra Señora de la Merced (1743-1762) This religious building, erected in a Colonial Baroque style following the design and direction of the architect fathers Primoli and Bianqui, has a roman-cross shaped layout and a main altar made of brick, covered with gold sheets and oil painting, coloured with vegetal extracts over a plaster coating. It has some pretty old woodcarvings.

El Obraje (1643)
This place served originally as a chapel, with a vaulted ceiling. When the church was constructed, the place was used to store the looms, the services and the offices of the Jesuits. At the present day it is the seat of the Technical Institute of El Obraje and of the Domingo F. Sarmiento Library.

El Tajamar Reservoir
It was built in 1659 in order to contain the Los Paredones Stream to store a regular supply of water for the town in those times.
El Tajamar is the oldest reservoir within the Province of Cordoba. It was part of a hydraulic system, which included a number of reservoirs -Los Paredones- containing the water of the stream named alike. Underground channels provide its waters to El Tajamar and the irrigation canals, which distributed water for the orchards. The wall that contains the water mirror is 80 metres high.

Los Paredones Resort In order to visit this place you have to go past the grotto of the Virgen de Lourdes, whose purpose was to feed El Tajamar. Keeping our route, we will come upon the Estancia of El Potrerillo de Larreta, which was the property of writer and diplomat Larreta, and a part of the estancia of Alta Gracia until the year of 1918.

Nowadays the Ecological Reserve of Panavi surrounds the main house of this ranch, which is accessed only by high-class tourists, containing a nine-hole golf course. Its main asset lies in its centenarian history, comprising the Jesuit epoch, the magnificent mansions from the early 20th century, the tin houses inherited from the times of the railroad, one of which was the abode of the 'Che' Guevara himself. House of the Guevara
Also known as Villa Beatriz, it is situated on Avellaneda Street. This was another house used by the Guevara family on the same street, the only two-storey building, which, for a while was thought to be haunted due to the noises that came from it. Other sources would rather acknowledge the house on number 14, which is under a process driven by the government of Cuba to turn it into a museum. The old inhabitants are adamant in sustaining that Che Guevara never really dwelled in this house.

Grotto of Nuestra Señora de Lourdes
It is a replica of the one that stands in France. It conveys a lot of pilgrims swarming from all over the Country on February 11th. It is located at of three kilometres from Alta Gracia, going by the Sarmiento Boulevard and crossing the stream at Butori Street.