The best walks and hikes in Tilcara

nice welcome and great coffee

A good hiking trail leads from Tilcara up to Garganta Dell Diablo. Alternatively, you can drive up a gravel road to the entrance of the gorge. The gorge itself has an entrance fee and ends at a beautiful waterfall.

The colors of the mountain glow in different shades of pink, purple, yellow and red, which is caused by the presence of different minerals in the rock layers. This natural phenomenon not only offers a unique sight, but also gives you the feeling of moving in an almost surreal landscape. The hike around and up the Cerro de los Siete Colores is easily accessible, and from the viewpoints you have a wonderful view of the village of Purmamarca and the surrounding mountains. A visit is particularly worthwhile in the morning and evening hours, when the light enhances the colors. It feels like walking in a natural open-air museum. A tip: The altitude of the mountain is about 2460 meters, so you should bring plenty of water and take breaks to get used to the thinner air. This place is part of the Quebrada de Humahuaca protected area, which means that certain regulations should be followed to preserve nature.

Although a lintel and one of the bells record the dates of 1648 and 1688, it is not possible to guarantee similar dates for the church, since the lintels were usually reused in successive buildings and the entire area of the Quebrada was destroyed during the period of the wars of independence. The current temple has the authentic characteristics of the Spanish-American churches of the Sevillian Mudejar tradition: the single tower and the structure of the nave roof in pair and knuckle form, with two sloping pieces of wood that support the cardón roof and a third horizontal one - the knuckle - triangulating the system and stabilizing the whole; this structure appears above the façade, creating a shelter space. The single-nave nave has a width-to-height ratio of 1:1 and is almost 7 m long. In the 25 m length of the nave, the sotocoro, the nave itself and the altar area follow one another without visible boundaries. The only sources of light are the entrance portal, the choir window above it and a small side opening in the altar area. There is no altarpiece at the front, but a series of elements attached to the wall: the tabernacle, above it the image of Saint Rose in a niche and on the sides two paintings, a Pietá and an Assumption of the Virgin. On the side walls, a Virgin of Cocharcas stands out, followed by ten Cusco paintings on the life of Santa Rosa. Source: https://www.argentina.gob.ar/capital-humano/cultura/monumentos/capilla-de-santa-rosa-de-lima-purmamarca

The Cerro de los Siete Colores is a mountain in Purmamarca, in northwestern Argentina. The mountain and town are located in the Tumbaya department in the Jujuy province. The mountain is located on the western edge of Purmamarca and has a height of around 2460 meters. The different shades of color are caused by the presence of various minerals in the rocks. The mountain, with its variety of colors, is typical of the pastel-colored, largely vegetation-free mountains of the Puna. Source: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerro_de_los_Siete_Colores

The word Pukara is of Aymara and Qichwa origin. It means strength. The Pucará of the Tilcaras had a strategic location next to the confluence of the Huasamayo River and the Rio Grande. The ruins were discovered by the ethnographer Juan Bautista Ambrosetti, who began the recovery of the place in 1908. During the visit you will get a sense of how people lived in the city before the arrival of the Spanish. It is very interesting and worthwhile, not only for the history but also for the beauty. A curious fact is that the same signs that explain along the route indicate that serious errors were made in the excavations that destroyed parts of the archaeological site and altered its original shape. A shame. At the archaeological site there is also a High Botanical Garden. It is located at the entrance to the Pucará de Tilcara site, on the left. Specimens of the typical species of the flora of the Quebrada de Humahuaca and the Puna are cultivated and studied. They are all xerophilous plants (dry-lovers) and mainly cacti, that is... Lots of CACTI! Source: https://www.norte.com/tilcara/

Very beautiful panorama of the Pucara de Tilcara site. Be careful of the climb, which is not always easy. Very beautiful 360 view. Paid access at discretion.

The Cabildo, named for its gallery of arches (a rare element in the area's architecture), sits in front of the central square and was built in the mid-19th century, possibly for May Revolution celebrations. It is one story in length and features a four-arched portico and thick adobe walls twice as thick as current buildings. In the niche you can see the very old ceiling made of cardboard panels and on the outside the mud cake that covers the ceiling. It is the smallest cabildo in Argentina and the building has become an architectural, historical and social icon of the place, being considered one of the last ten traditional councils still standing in Argentina. Today it functions as a cultural hall and exhibition center. Source: https://postadepurmamarca.com.ar/paseos/cabildo/