Quebrada de Humahuaca
A mountainous and semiarid valley in the northwestern province of Jujuy, recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage cultural landscape.
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Huacalera village used to be one of the colonial posts of the old Spanish Royal Road that communicated the Río de la Plata with the Alto Perú.
The Chapel of Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria de Huacalera originally belongued to the "Hacienda de Huacalera", a Spanish establishment of colonial times. The first building from the Mid-XVII century had similar characteristics to those of the current church: one only tower and roof extending above the entrance wall forming a deep portico. It was rebuilt around 1850 with local constructive traditions: adobe walls on stone foundations, roof truss of wood and cardón.
Huacalera has also historical significance because in 1841, to prevent that the dead body of General Juan Lavalle, a leading figure of the Struggle for Independence and leader of the Unitary Party during the civil wars, falls into the hands of his adversaries, his officers fleshed it on the banks of a creek near Huacalera and buried the soft remains, taking his bones with them to Bolivia.
© Photo: Rmolfino, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
© Summary: Binder & Haupt, Universes in Universe
A mountainous and semiarid valley in the northwestern province of Jujuy, recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage cultural landscape.
The so-called "Camino Real" (Royal Road) connected by land the port of Buenos Aires with the port of Lima since the end of the 16th century, during the times of the Viceroyalty of Peru and the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata over a distance of more than 4,500 km. Some of the pre-Hispanic tracks and stretches of the Inca Trail were used for the route.
"Postas" were established on the side of the trail, as a place to change horses, but also to provide food and precarious lodging for travelers. Several of them later became villages.
Trichocereus atacamensis, known as "cardón" or "pasacana" is a cactus species characteristic of northwestern Argentina.
Its cylindrical trunk can reach 50 cm in diameter, and up to 15 m in height forming candelabra-like branches, with thorns up to 15 cm long. It is a plant of high longevity, but of slow growth. A 10 m tall cardón can be around 180 years old. It grows on rocky slopes and plains, withstanding extreme conditions of cold and aridity at an altitude between 2,000 and 3,500 meters.
Its structural tissue hardens when it dries, from which is obtained what is known as cardón wood, traditionally used in construction, especially for the beams and roof trusses.
At present, the cardón is a protected species. It is forbidden to cut it, and only the production of handicrafts with fallen or dried specimens is authorized.
Flowers of cardón are yellowish white. The fruit is sweet and is used in the elaboration of jams or syrups.