CASIRA

Located at 52 km from La Quiaca, at approximately 2500 m.a.s.l., it was divided between Argentina and Bolivia in 1942. It is a small post with hardly more than 70 inhabitants.

Its name probably owes its origin to an indigenous word meaning a conglomerate of small land properties. Here you will find a school, a small church and from this year onwards there will also be a hostelry, phone booth for local and international calls and a medical post.

The Puna part of Jujuy has a rich and diverse culture which is shown in its handicraft designs, textiles, ceramics, paintings, etc., with each region having its own particular style.

In this sense, Casira is a great handicraft place par excellence, because the whole town makes the most astonishing ceramics. The travellers will here be able to find the typical pots and pans, as well as the local yuros and birques. They come in all shapes and sizes in red clay with dark stains from the firing made in a hole in the ground using primeval techniques.

The best time of the year to appreciate the popular art of Casira is when the fair takes place on August 15th, the date of its Patron Saint's Day of Our Lady of the Ascension. Casira furthermore is a very nice place to practise mountain biking.