CAFAYATE

In the central zone of the Valle de Calchaquí Valley, were nature has ordered the valley to widen up, emerges a town guarded by an impressive mountainous frame, flanked by the colourful Santa María and Calchaquí Rivers, and surrounded by vineyards. Its name is Cafayate.

In pre-Hispanic times, both Cafayate and Tolombón were largely inhabited. And to "save their souls", Jesuit and Franciscan missions settled there before and after the Calchaquíes Wars.

At the end of the 18th century, the mission of Cafayate became dependant of the vice-parish of San Carlos and in the year of 1808 the priest of the former ordered the building of a small chapel on the same spot where the Town Hall now stands.

The land were that small chapel was built was the property of Doña Josefa Antonia Frías de Aramburú, who in 1828 donated the land necessary for the construction of the town, which started 12 years later.

It was Fernando de Aramburú who officially founded the town of Cafayate in 1840. With well traced streets and one story houses Cafayate shows a style that go from Colonial to Baroque of the late 19th century. The Main Square, central, ample and well planted with trees and bushes, is surrounded to the West by the Town Hall and the Cathedral. This last one is a splendid building from Colonial times, holding five naves and keeping very antique and valuable imagery.

The road to Cafayate, across the Ravine of Las Conchas is a main tourist attractions of the Province. The impressive polychrome countryside and the attention-grabbing geological and cultural history have turned this trip into a classic.

A recent archaeological investigation in the ravine has unearthed a beautiful section of an Inca trail, located at only few ms off the National Route Nº 68.

It is another attraction for the the tourist who likes to experience and see this ancient road at a close range. The Spanish conquerors, as well as scholars and travellers have always been amazed at its sight throughout the centuries.

In the surroundings of the town there are a number of dunes, small white sandy mounds composed by ores of calcareous mica, that charm the visitor with their whimsical shapes sculpted by the wind, especially while strolling through them in moon light.

A belt of vineyards surrounds the town while the cellars offer the tourist some circuits around their fields, well washed down with glasses of good "torrontés" wine. It is possible to taste some traditional foot trampled wines made by dozens of old style producers. In Cafayate there are several wine cellars that can be visited gratis, just to mention a few: Bodega La Rosa, Etchart y Domingo Hermanos, La Banda, Nanni, etc. in them it is possible, aside from getting to know the artisan way of making these wines, to taste them at the foot of the barrel.

And so, a majestic ravine, dunes, a colonial church and wine cellars become the elements that identify Cafayate

HOW TO GET THERE
It is situated 183 kms to the South of the city of Salta, through National Route No 68, fully paved, although precaution is recommended during the rainy season. Cafayate rests at an altitude of 1,660 m.a.s.l. The road to the town passes through Cerrillos, La Merced, El Carril, Coronel Moldes, arriving then to the ravine of Las Conchas that gives way to the dunes and the vineyards that cushion Cafayate. Another way is by the National Route No 40, which traces the 165 kms from Cachi to Cafayate

FESTIVITIES
In late January or early February, the Fiesta de la Serenata takes place in Cafayate, where youngsters from every corner of the province benefit with the chance to mingle and get pleasure from the best folklore of the Country. The opportunity can also be suitable to behold the typical "misachicos" and the curious outfits of the locals coming from the neighbouring mountains. Other well-attended festivities are the ones pertaining to the "Holy Week" or Easter, and the feast in honour to the Virgen del Rosario, the local Patron Saint, and its 1740's image, which is kept in the Cathedral church.

CLIMATE
The Cafayate climate is generally mild and dry; rainfalls (between December and March) do not exceed 250 mm a year.

EXCURSIONS AND WALKS
There are plenty camping places in Cafayate, amongst them the Municipal Camping ground. There are also some pretty interesting circuits to tackle:

San Isidro (5 Km path)
This is a ranch in whose surroundings there are some caverns with cave paintings. One of them is called the "piedra grabada de los números" or stone engraved with numbers.

Tolombón (14 Km)
Locality in the valley of Santa María, with some vineyards and wine cellars. The visitor might be interested in the close by ruins of the pre-Hispanic city of Tolombón, whose remains are kept mainly covered by shrubbery. There are some stone walls marking the shape of the rooms of the once existing fortress. They can be found 3 kms West of the town.

Quebrada del Río de Las Conchas Ravine (83 Km, down to Alemania)
The road that takes you here from Cafayate, goes through some scenery and sights like the Rio de las Conchas Ravine and Los Médanos, very fine grained sand formations that erosion has chiselled into the mountain side, and to which the popular ingenuity has given names like Los Castillos (the Castles), El Obelisco (the Obelisk), El Fraile (the Monk), El Sapo (the Frog), El Anfiteatro (the Amphitheatre) etc.

The Las Conchas Ravine ends in Alemania, where we will find the last station of the Belgrano Railway Train that runs across the valley of Lerma starting from Salta, and heading South. Many travellers here decide to go forward to La Viña and the beautiful valley of Guachipas, 21 kms away. From there, at 46 kms, near Las Juntas, we'll find the Guachipas Painted Caves, a Historical Monument representing the Cave painting art of the Santa Maria Culture.

Molinos (116 Km)
Village in the Calchaquí Valley, attractive because its parish church built in 1659. Another of the relics found in the surroundings of Cafayate is a 350 year old Jesuit mill that is still at work. It can be reached at 6 kms from the most illustrious town of the Valley. It can grind up to 200 kg of grain by shift, in three different qualities of grind.

Two round stones of a metre in diameter form the structure of the mill. One stays put and the other turns around its axis. It bears also an iron structure of palettes that rests below the stones replacing the one originally made in wood. It obtains its rotating impulse from falling water, which, coming through a stone canal, falls into the blades and thus impels the mobile stone.