LUGARES MAGAZINE Nro. 46
Page. 40 - 45
By: Guido Chouela


A Natural and Archaeological Reserve
A dawn we left going course to the North by Route 9 next to Ariel Mosca, connoisseur of each corner of the Puna Highlands and an inhabitant of Tilcara. The first lights in the morning dyed the mountains in colours at both sides of the Route, mixing themselves with the fog of the cold night in the Gorge. Beyond Humahuaca the asphalt finishes and a winding ascent begins until reaching the four thousand metres above sea level. Is the start of the Puna Highland itself, or the Altiplano as it is called in Bolivia. We went towards the Abra Pampas Pass - called by some the "Siberia of Argentina", or "the Capital of the Puna Highland" by others - and from we took Provincial Route 7, to the Laguna de Pozuelos Lake at 3700 metres above sea level. Its water mirror, covering 15 thousand hectares, is the habitat of more than 36 species of migratory birds; of which the different species of flamingoes win the prize by their portly and graceful bearing and pink plumage. It is worth the trouble to stop on the shores, in the silence of the high plateau, to observe these singular birds.

After a round trip of 21 kilometres by the South part of the Lake, we arrived at Rinconada. This small Village, at the moment inhabited by hardly 200 souls, was founded in1624 and then called the Rinconada de Oro – Gold Corner or the Valle Rico de Rinconada Rich Valley by the important gold mines of that time in that part of the Region. The local villagers still tell legends of gold ingots hidden in the adobe mud brick walls of the houses or below ground.

Some of those histories were related to us by one of the 200 locals while we walked through the Town plaza main square where the Church from the XVIIth Century can be found together with the thick perfectly conserved arches of the Town Hall. On the way from Rinconada to the Mina Pan de Azucar Sugar Loaf Mine, the Puna is seen like an extensive plain of incomparable beauty, interrupted by high plateaus where formerly the indigenous populations were based. The Pucará de Rinconada is one of them, from where it controls the River basin of the Lake and the plateau; at the same time the so called Antigal - visited almost exclusively by archaeologists - offers a surprising amount of constructions, very motley, that suggest internal streets, water channels and temples. Here you literally walk on te remains of indigenous ceramics - those of most value are in the Archaeological Museum of Tilcara- like on an infinite puzzle that reminds one of the rich history of America.

La Sal de la Tierra – The Salt of the Earth
Towards the South of Tilcara, on the way to Purmamarca, the road climbs steeply towards the so called Abra de Potrerillos Gap at some 4200 metres above sea level to accede to the Puna Highland. But this time we arrived at an absolutely white desert, the Las Salinas Grandes or Great Salt Pans, a gorgeous site that adds an unexpected shade to the landscape of the North. The only sound that is heard in the Salt Pans are one’s own foot steps on the white ground.

From the Las Salinas Grandes it is possible to be continue through the rcently oponed Pass of Jama, to Chile, or to take the Route 40 that is born soez more kilometres above, close to the Laguna de Pozuelos Lake towards the South to cross the limit to the Salta Province and to arrive at the City of San Antonio de los Cobres.

Right in the midst of the Puna Highland, the City of San Antonio de los Cobres, one of the stop obres of the Train to the Clouds, survives with stoicism the harshness of the climate. If you decided to arrive up to here with a car and continue onto the City of Salta, you will follow the same route that the famous train makes. It can be difficult without a suitable vehicle, especially during the rainy season - between April and November- by the innumerable crossings you have to amke of the Río Toro River. But this route will give you the possibility of stopping in unforgettable places, like the Town of Santa Rosa de Tastil.

In this small Town an extensive indigenous city existed, but today only the Ruins of Tastil remain. In order to enter them it is necessary to request the keys in the Museum located in the entrance of the Town. It is worth the trouble: it is a unique viewpoint to appreciate the extension of the Pucará, that covers several hills of the valley.

El Valle del Viento – The Valley of the Wind
To Salta you will arrive by Route 51, a tiring dirt road but also one of the most spectacular exits from the Puna Highlands. It goes from the City of Salta by the Valley of Lerma towards the Calchaquíes Valleys, an ideal Region to complete your Northern tour. Arriving at Cafayate - Capital of the Calchaquíes Valleys – you cross an extensive desert with strange geologic formations, like the El Obelisco –The Obelisk, La Garganta del Diablo - The Throat of the Devil and El Anfiteatro - The Amphitheatre, a high semicircular stone wall where a guitarist usually plays for the few visitors.

Cafayate, a tourist city that can be saturated during the Southern Hemisphere Winter vacations and Easter, has as its main attractions the vineyards and the important wine cellars that cultivate the so called torrontés variety of grape, the only Argentine stock. La Rosa and Etchart are some which receive the visitors with a glass in their hand. The North is rich in possibilities; the vineyards of Cafayate add an additional element to the natural, cultural and archaeological landscape of the region.