THE PUNTA CORRAL

On the right side of the road between Tumbaya and Tilcara, the voyager will see a large, high hill, at the back of which, in a windy corner where clouds crash into it, one will find the Punta Corral Pass.

On one side of the Pass there is a gigantic mound of stones or Apacheta, where every local traveller ritually deposits a stone as homage to Mother Earth, the Pachamama, a tradition that has been kept for millennia in the Puna highland areas of not only Argentina, but also Bolivia and Peru. The ritual is frequently also accompanied by offerings of a smoked cigarette and a gulp of liquor. Further uphill, on two sides of a crossroads, you will find the Sanctuary of the Virgin that descends to Tilcara, and further down, the Sanctuary of the Virgin that descends to Tumbaya.

There are four different paths that will take you to that point.

The first one, starts out from Tumbaya, crosses the Río Grande, and goes into the deep rift dug by the stream that comes down from Punta Corral. This is a very well marked path and it is said the Incas built its 23 km long road.

The shortest path leaves from Tunalito, being much steeper than the one just described.

From Maimará there is yet a third path and it is much more difficult. You climb up to the"Paleta de Pintor", crossing Cerro Amarillo, El Churqui and Doce Vueltas. The view from this last place is breathtaking with the Humahuaca Gorge below and the snow-clad peak of Chañi. Then one descends to the Apacheta of the Punta Corral Pass, where the path splits off in three directions, one to each of the Sanctuaries and the third one to Tilcara.

The last path departs from Tilcara, following the edge of the Devil's Throat, Garganta del Diablo, Chilcaguada, and again to the Apacheta. This pathway is in very good shape and is repaired yearly.

In the month of April the weather is a bit chilly, mostly during the nighttime.