Jujuy: A trip to the northern part of Argentina
Buenos dias! I have been thoroughly enjoying my time attending classes, basking in the sun, sipping on mate (the traditional herbal beverage), eating lomos and empanadas, and exploring the various sectors inside of Argentina. On April 16- 20, Universidad Blas Pascal offered the foreign exchange students an opportunity to travel to northern Argentina to tour Jujuy province. Not only did we have the privilege to view various towns in Jujuy province, but all of us on the tour bonded more closely together during the time. Having to travel overnight in a bus, sleeping in the hostel, eating, and spending every waking moment with each other definitely brought us closer to those who had opted on paying to go on the tour.
On April 16 at 6:30 am, we boarded the bus that was taking us on the long journey up to the north. With us was the Clemson on-site director, one of the history teachers, and a study abroad coordinator. During the long bus ride, we shared mate, chatted, ate snacks, played card games, and slept. We finally arrived at our destination, Purmamarca, the next day at 9 am.
Day 1
Following our arrival in Purmamarca, we headed straight to Cerro de los 7 Colores. We hiked up a mountain opposite of the Cerro so that we would be able to view the colors their entirety. Once we had ascended, it was amazing to see so many vibrant colors mixed and mingling together in the earth to create a spectacular sight. It was truly a privilege to see the quaint clay buildings set against the stunning background of the hills. After descending the mountain, we walked through the village observing the brightly covered headstones in the graveyard, the murals on the clay buildings, the animals lazing in the sunlight, etc. We left the village and continued to the cerro to explore its beauty up close. We meandered through the hills and marveled at the colors ranging from bright orange to russet red. Although the heat reminded me of a desert, the marvel before me made me forget my exhaustion. All of us thoroughly enjoyed basking in the sun while resting on the hills. Admiration could be seen in all of our gazes that were firmly fixed on the beauty surrounding us. The cerro is something that I would gladly visit just to see and experience it in person all over again.
After we were finished touring the Cerro de los 7 Colores, we continued on winding our way over mountains and through valleys. The view was absolutely breathtaking. It reminded me again, that we are such a small part of this amazing world, and that there are so many places on this earth to cherish and explore.
On our way to our next stop, we slowly made our way up the Cuesta de Lipan (4000 meters) which, in its own right, was beyond imagination. It was awe-inspiring to see the vista of the path that we had slowly climbed and the landscape of the mountains and foliage. After quite some time, we reached the Salinas Grandes. The Salinas is a giant salt lake at the top of a mountain. Seeing the mirages of water reflecting off of the surface of the salt brings to mind how people in the desert might have felt; thinking that they had spied water. In the salt, there were shallow parts cut out where the salt had been harvested. Photoshoots instantly happened; jumping over the cut out parts, laying on the salt, posing with the mountains in the background, making pyramids, etc. It is one of my most cherished memories from the time in Jujuy.
Day 2
On Saturday, from our hostel (located in Tilcara), we traveled to Humahuaca. There we viewed aboriginal monuments, browsed a craft fair, and tried llama meat. Since it was raining fairly steadily, we decided to not go hiking in the Amarrillos. Instead, we toured a small capilla (a smaller church), perused a llama-inspired souvenir shop, petted llamas, and also visited the Tropic of Capricorn.
In the north, it is extremely evident that the people view the llama as an important symbol in their lives. At the souvenir shop, there was a giant llama statue that was near the entrance. On the building, there were also depictions of llamas in the stone. It was very common to see llamas wandering around the mountains and across roads. This aspect of the culture not only admired the llamas but also depended on them for sustenance.
Day 3
Sunday morning we checked out of our hostel, as we would be departing as soon as the day’s activities were ended. Our first stop was Pucara de Tilcara. Here, there were ruins of the ancient villages including the special grave sites. The site was covered in cactus and stones in various shapes and colors. Across from us was the Quebrada (literal meaning: broken) which is famous since it has a unique “broken” pattern. It was truly a sight to see. As we continued on, we stopped at the Garganta del Diablo (Devil’s Throat) and trekked up the ravine to the waterfall. The nature in the ravine and surrounding the waterfall was breathtaking. Sadly, our tour of Jujuy had come to a close, and we needed to get back to Cordoba. We ate a quick dinner and then departed from Tilcara at 6 pm.
Even though our time in Jujuy has ended, the memories will forever be in my heart. It was amazing to see the sites with wonderful classmates who are quickly becoming lifelong friends. One day, it would be awesome if I had the opportunity to visit these places again. In the meanwhile, I will continue to explore other places and enjoy the rest of my semester, here, in Argentina.