CACHI

Wrapped in multicoloured sierras and irrigated by the Calchaquí River, Cachi is a balsam to the soul. Located 157 kms away from the City of Salta, and 165 from Cafayate, it is a picturesque town of narrow pitted streets, in the middle of a valley of prolific lands and surrounded by alfalfa and red pepper plantations, which, when drying in the sunshine, constitute a flashy and vivid scenery.

Standing at 2280 m.a.s.l., Cachi receives its guests with a special essence that distinguishes it as a Calchaquí village frozen in time. With its ever-snowed summit, the Cachi Mountain or "White Rock of Solitude" (that has nine peaks being the highest at 6720 ms) is one of the treasures creating a special stage to a town comprising only 1,500 people.

Its foundation goes back to the year 1673. The plaza, enclosed by a stone wall, emulates the meeting centres of the Chicoana people, first dwellers of the zone. Standing at one side is the church of Cachi, a National Historical Monument since 1945. This neo-gothic temple exhibits a singular trait of the valleys: Its roof, main altar, confessionary and the frames of the paintings are all made out of cardón, a cactus wood native to the area.

On the other side is the "Pío Pablo Díaz" Archaeological Museum, where about 5000 pieces narrating a more than ten thousand? year history, from 800 B.C. to 1600 A.C., are kept.

Cachi means salt in Quechua, and the legend goes that the Inca conquerors mistook the silver summit of the Cachi snow-capped mountain with a salt mine. Another etymological line argues that the word comes from the Kakana language of the ancient Diaguita people - who settled in these valleys - where "kak" means stone, , and the word "chi" or "chin" means silence, solitude.

Peaceful and traditional, the town conserves some big old mansions, many of them from the colonial period, sitting at the edge of narrow streets coming on up from a luminous background of sown fields and plantations, framed by snowed peaks and sierras. The San José Patron Festivity is celebrated on the 19th of March, with diverse popular and religious activities.

HOW TO GET THERE
This town can be accesed going through the Nº 68 Provincial Route up to Chicoana, and then through the Ruta Provincial Nº 33, that runs along the Escoipe ravine to penetrate then into the winding Cuesta del Obispo (Bishop's Slope), flanked by velvety mountains and a vertiginous precipice.

The highest point is at Piedra del Molino (Millstone) at 3348 m.a.s.l.; further ahead, the famous straight line of Tin Tin (a part of the 23,000 kms long Inca Trail) is crossed, as well as the Parque Nacional Los Cardones (The Cordon Cactus National Park). Finally, after a three-hour drive, travellers arrive to the town, which is just next to the Calchaquí River.

Another way of arriving to Cachi is going through the Ruta Nacional Nº 40, that connects with La Poma and Los Andes towards the north, and Molinos and Cafayate towards the south.

TOURIST ATTRACTIONS
One of the main attractions is the Museo Arqueológico, located at the Cacique Juan Calchaquí St, which opens Mondays through Fridays from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM. Pottery objects belonging to the ancient Pulare culture, who inhabited the region before the Spaniards, can be seen. It is facing the plaza as is usual in a layout of colonial style. Its construction began in the 18th century, and was the private chapel of the Aramburu family during those years. Father De la Zerda had its facade remodelated around 1884. The facade we currently know dates from 1947.

WHAT TO DO
Besides the splendid charm of its natural beauties, Cachi is an ideal locality for the practice of adventure tourism. In its surroundings travellers can fish trout, take a horseback ride or a hike, or maybe make an excursion to the archaeological sites, such as La Paya, where a pre-Hispanic indigenous city shows its remains.

RIDES
Cachi Inland (6 Km)
A place of running streams and beautiful landscapes. At the place called Las Pailas, at 6 kms away, ruins from pre-Columbian civilizations can be found.

Payogasta (11 Km)
Ancient settlement once inhabited by the Pule tribe. Good place for fishing lluscas, a native fish from the Andean rivers. 8 kms away, in the direction of La Poma, stands the Potrero de Payogasta, a National Historical Monument holding the ruins of a pre-Inca compound that was later occupied by the Incas.

La Paya (10 Km; followed by 4 Km of pathway)
to access it, take the Ruta Nacional Nº 40. It holds ruins from a pre-Hispanic settlement. It is recommended that travellers hire the services of a guide. The black or purple types of corn are cultivated in the area.

Laguna de Brealito Lagoon (30 Km; followed by 12 Km of pathway)
Access is through the Ruta Nacional Nº 40. It is a private 70 hectare lake of volcanic origin. Here, you can fish for atherines. The homonymous hermit holds a traditional sanctuary.

Molinos (48 Km)
Very old town with a church dating back to the 17th century. Access passes through the Ruta Nacional Nº 40.