Travel Guide Tilcara

Between Purmamarca (25 km) and Humahuaca (45 km), along the Ruta 9, we discover the most pleasant and interesting villages of the Quebrada. Tilcara, "shooting star" in Quechua, is a village of more than 2,000 souls perched at an altitude of 2,500 meters, very pleasant to visit, lively and authentic, with its small cobblestone streets and its traditional white houses. There are some interesting small museums, the ruins of a fortress of the indigenous Humacuaca tribe (pre-Inca), a botanical garden and a pretty little church. It's a good base for exploring the region, and the little village has been a real success in recent years with the expansion of tourism. If you are in the area during Holy Week (end of March), the festival of Tilcara is worthwhile. There is a procession that climbs a mountain to fetch the Virgin (the Mamita del Cerro) at Punta Corral, 3,800 meters above sea level, and then the participants sleep at the top while feasting, and then descend together to Tilcara. All ages participate in this multi-day walk to bring the Virgin back to the village from her sanctuary. This procession is accompanied by more than forty Bandas de Sikuris, musical groups of about fifty people who play the Andean flute siku and percussion. A good example of syncretism between Catholic and pagan festivities.