HUACALERA

North of Tilcara, 26 km down Nº 9 National Route, the traveller will find, just before arriving in the small town Huacalera, a monolith called the Tropic of Capricorn - "Trópico de Capricornio", erected in memory of the patriots that fought in the Wars of Independence from the Spanish Crown between the years 1810 and 1825.

A small and picturesque place, Huacalera is located at 2641 m.a.s.l. and now has a population of 335 people. In the old days it was an Omaguaca indigenous parcel country, and as a reminder of those times there stands the small myth filled chapel built in the year 1657.

It is a jewel of the architecture from the vice-Royalty days. It contains one of the most important and valuable collections of paintings from the Cuzco School of Painting as are the nine "Ángeles arcabuceros" or Harquebusier Angels, dressed as a heavenly militia, as well as the Wedding of the Virgin ''Casamiento de la Virgen'' and the Baptism of the Virgin "El Bautismo de la Virgen", both unique in their subject matter.

The altar dates back to 1699. The tabernacle is another piece of art with frescoes on two of its sides showing Saint Peter and Saint Paul. The most valuable part of the chapel is the altarpiece, the work of primitive artists from the Puna highland plateau. It is the oldest in the region.

The Huacalera Post is one of the first colonial settlements. It has a schoolhouse as old as 1825. The mill the Jesuits built in colonial times, and the archaeological site of Pucará de Molla, are the most outstanding attractions. There is a well-known hostelry in the town.