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Colorful mountains, jungles, towns with stone streets, and celebrations of the Mother Earth attract people to see the magical province of Jujuy.
Jujuy is located at the North West of Argentina. It borders with the Andes Mountains in the West, Bolivia in the South and Salta province to the East and South. One of Argentina´s most attractive tourist sites, there are four clearly different regions in this Northern Province: the Sub-Andean Sierras, the Eastern Mountains –where the Quebrada de Humahuaca stands out- the Puna, and the Valleys area.
San Salvador de Jujuy is the capital city, 1.643 kilometers from Buenos Aires, with an international airport nearby. In the beginning of the era of Spanish Conquest, the territory of Jujuy was inhabited by indigenous people, mostly omaguacas. Declared a World Natural and Cultural Heritage Site by UNESCO, the Quebrada de Humahuaca is one of Jujuy´s main tourist attractions thanks to the hugeness of its landscapes and its rich cultural traditions.
As for the Las Yungas and the Puna regions, they stand out for their lush jungles as well as their desert landscapes.
Jujuy is a destination that offers many different options: enjoying nature in natural reserves; sinking in native history at archeological sites; getting to know the religious syncretism of its popular celebrations; and enjoying some leisure time in thermal waters.
Economy
Sugar, tobacco, vegetables, and citrus are Jujuy´s main agricultural industries. Also very important are the iron and steel sector, the cellulose and paper industry, and the mining activity; particularly metals, of which the province is the country´s main producer.
There is also some breeding of sheep, camelids (especially llamas), goats, bovines, equines and pigs. The mining industry is at the country´s top. Iron, lead, silver, zinc, copper, and gold are among the main metal minerals extracted and processed. Mineral salts like boronates, construction stone, and sulfur are also produced.
As for hydrocarbon production, Caimancito is the only productive site discovered in the Cretaceous Field. Other areas are of the same field are worked in the province of Salta. A recent example is the Valle Morado gas field, which turned the Cretaceous field into a promising area for of oil and gas exploration.
Growing of the Stevia plant Program
Jujuy´s authorities promote the production of the Stevia plant, which has high food and medicinal values. The objective is to promote the growing of stevia, also called “green gold”, and to commercialize it abroad through a program endorsed by the Production and Environment Ministry
Studies have confirmed its hypoglycemic properties, not affecting blood sugar levels and improving glucose tolerance. By helping to reduce calories, it´s good for diabetics and people trying to loose weight.
Camino del Inca Rally
The Jujuy classic automobiles rally is one of the more outstanding sporting and cultural events. It takes place on several parts of the Camino del Inca, which extends through a total of more than 5.000 kilometers in six different countries: Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador and Perú.
The Camino del Inca Rally goes through some very impressive landscapes. The Argentine Classic Automobiles Club is one of the event´s organizers. The rally extends through 700 kilometers; it starts at the capital of Jujuy and ends at Purmamarca. It goes through the towns of Yala, Volcán and Tumbayá; and the Valleys area, the Puna, and the Quebrada de Humahuaca.
The Camino del Inca was an important trading and communication route for the Inca empire´s administration. Today, a great part lies under the National Route 40, which connects La Quiaca with Ushuaia (at the Southern most portion of Argentina)
Promoting the Camino del Inca as a World Heritage Site
Since 2001, Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador and Perú are coordinating an initiative to get the Camino del Inca to be declared a World Heritage Site by the UNESCO.
Recently, the first Argentina-Bolivia bi-national workshop was held in Jujuy in the context of this endorsement program.
In Argentina, the Inca route extends through the Northwest provinces of Jujuy, Salta, Tucumán, Catamarca, San Juan, Mendoza and La Rioja.
San Salvador de Jujuy
The capital of Jujuy is located in the temperate Valleys zone, a place with very pleasant resting areas.The city has different classes of hotels, restaurants, and a wide range of shops that sell llama textiles and regional products. Some tourist sites are the Cabildo and Police History Museum, the Cathedral, and the House of Government. The oldest church is the Santa Bárbara Chapel, with a tiled and wooden beamed roof.
Two museums worth mention are the “Juan Galo Lavalle” Province History Museums and the Provincial Archeological Museum.
Other places to see are the San Francisco Church, the Jujuy Exodus Obelisk, and the Mineralogy and Paleontology Museum
The Valleys
The area´s lakes, rivers, forests and green plains are the perfect place for resting and doing some sport tourism.
This circuit includes the town of Reyes and the thermal springs of the same name. Its rich mineral waters are ideal for treating stress and other health problems.
Some other interesting sites are the town of Palpalá, the La Ciénaga and Los Alisos dikes, the Yala Lakes (great for fishing and nautical sports), and the town of El Carmen, where on the week between July 9th and July 16th there is an agriculture and livestock farming exhibition and a regional products fair, as well as the Virgen del Carmen celebration.
The Quebrada de Humahuaca
This Andean valley with beautiful landscapes has been declared a World Heritage Site. Its cultural value goes back 10.000 years and is based on the different native tribe’s religions and traditions.
Visitors can enjoy the colorful holidays and the gastronomy, and also get llama wool textiles. The quebrada is a part of the Ruta del Inca and starts off at 39 kilometers from San Salvador de Jujuy. It covers about 170 kilometers of valleys and mountains.
One of the main landscape´s main features is the mountain´s diverse color tones given by the minerals they are made of.
Volcán is the first little town out of Jujuy´s capital. Further on is Tumbayá, at 2.094 m, and its XVIII century chapel. Other charming locations that should be included on a tour are Purmamarca –cordoned off by the Seven Colors Mountain- , Posta de los Hornillos, and Maimará, home of famous carnivals. In Tilcara stands the fortress of Viltipoco, the last chief of the Omaguaca tribe.
In Huacalera there is a monolith pointing out the spot where the Tropic of Capricorn goes through. It is there where, on June 21s,t the Inti Raymi (Festival of the Sun) is celebrated. Further on, in the stone streets of colorful Humahuaca, there is a church with Cuzco style paintings. A fortressed village built by natives on a mountain’s top, the Pucará de Tilcara is one of the cultural attractions of the place.
The Puna
The most remarkable sites are the deserted lunar landscapes that include huge salt pans, high planes, and mountain encircled lakes. Some of its main attractions are the Laguna de Pozuelos Biosphere Reserve –a place in the puna desert where thousands of flamingos nest-, the Cuesta de Lipán, at 4000 meters, and the Salinas Grandes.
The Puna circuit is composed of locations such as the historic towns of Sureques, Casabindo –home of the country’s unique bullfighting festival- Abra Pampa, Cochinota, Santa Catalina, La Quiaca, Rinconada –stretched by two gold seams exploited since pre-Hispanic times- and Yavi, home of a XVI century church with beautiful altars and sculptures. South of the Cochinotta department is the Laguna Guayatayoc Province Reserve, where different kinds of flamingos can be seen.
Las Yungas
Located at the province´s south East, it is a high altitude area of subtropical forests that has a diverse wildlife and is ideal for camping, photo safaris, and ethnographic or environmental tourism.
Excursions to the Calilegua National Park can be arranged from the town of Libertador General San Martín. Natives used to inhabit this land in old times, a fact confirmed by the discovered archeological sites. Today, indigenous Coya groups live there.
Near the town Valle Grande the Loza Creek stands out. There is a thermal water spring in San Lucas, very recommendable for treating rheumatic problems. Near the town of Caimancito there is also the Aguas Calientes Thermal Complex, an ideal place for a two-day getaway.
Archeological tourism
The province´s rich thousand year old history can be appreciated at the Ruins of Inca Cueva, Huachichoana, Pucará de Tilcara, the petroglifs of Laguna Colorada and Yavi Chico
Handicraft culture
There is a great tradition in Jujuy regarding the making of traditional pottery, wooden handicrafts, pre-Hispanic and Spanish textiles, leather handicrafts, and gold and silver works such as suspenders, knives, rebenques, spurs and mates.
Popular Celebrations
Combining myth and religion, the celebrations are accompanied by music played with original instruments like the siku, the quena, the erque and the charango.
The Pachamama (Mother Earth) is the most popular of the Inca world´s beliefs celebrated today in Jujuy. The main celebration is in August, in the homes of the Jujuy people, and consists in making a hole in the ground and feeding the Mother Earth with coca leaves, chichi, alcohol and cigarettes. The Holy Week is quite a scene in Jujuy, mixing catholic religion and indigenous tradition.
It is celebrated on Tilcara, Tumbaya and Yavi, among other towns. The carnivals are also very popular festivals at the Quebrada de Humahuaca and the Puna. In Humahuaca, February 2nd is the day of the Virgen de la Candelaria celebration. In Casabindo, the same thing happens with the Virgen Patrona on August 15th, with bands playing sikuris, and a game which consists in releasing a bull and trying to grab a silver head band of his horns.
The National Students Holiday is celebrated in San Salvador de Jujuy in September.
In Purmamarca, August 30th is the day of the honoring of Santa Rosa, the town’s patron saint, with liturgical events and misachicos accompanied by sikuris playing bands.
