Introducing the North of Argentina

Travel to Argentina and discover the north of Argentina.

Most of the area through which the Juramento flow is farmland just at the base of the Andes in a rich agricultural district. The people and the villagers in Northern Argentina are a treasure well worth your interest and time even if there was no other diversion to bring you here. Salta, the provincial capitol of Salta Province is nestled 3000 feet up on the foothills of the Indies. And a historic city established in the 1500. It developed from a small raw bone frontier military outpost to a sophisticated modern city. The area from the water-severed place still has a number of historic colonial buildings. Salta’s cathedral on the town square is a beautiful example of mid-1800 neoclassic architecture, a flavor that’s reflected and older structures throughout the city. Taking advantage of it’s proximity to the hills, a cable car moves between Central Salta and Mount San Bernardino, a thousand feet above the city. North of Salta moving higher into the Indies, provincial capital city of Ojo province, same name closes the cultural gap between Argentina’s heavily European influence and that of indigenous residency prior about 1500. Ojo’s Saturday morning public market is an excellent place to gain some insight into the people here. Religion is a strong influence in this region of Argentina and Ojo is a treasure in religious architecture and design, a block away, another weekend tradition. South of Salta province back out on the delta plane of Parana, Pueblo of Machagay, Chaco province is known throughout the country as the village of furniture factories. There were easily as many horse drawn carts in Machagay as there were trucks. The heart of Jim and Kelly’s filming, fell during and around Easter week or Semana Santa which is called in Spanish. In the Parana River town Hitachi during Semana Santa the Basilica Nuestra Senora is visited by hundreds of the faitful who traveled great distances to this remarkable donned cathedral. Second-owned like in expanse which owned to the Basilica in Rome, it was built in 1938 as a home for the vulnerable statue of the Virgin of Hitachi brought here in 1859 by the Franciscans. This initiated an Hitachi’s role as an important religious centered for the region. Every year for the last 20, these eclectic collections of pilgrims have made a 30 kilometer journey to Hitachi on Palm Sunday in celebration of the Semana Santa, down the road, three generations on a horseback for a Sunday journey. On the Parana river a hundred miles to the west Posadas is an important commercial hub for business in Northern Argentina. It’s proximity to Paraguay across the river makes it an international trade center for surrounding countries in the region. Much of the historic commercial traffic of Parana has been replaced by trucks though agriculture and chemical traffic keep barges constantly moving through its muddy currents. A growing thriving community, Posadas celebrates Semana Santa in a well deserved holiday break. In the evening, wherever there’s a television there too will be a crowd of exuberant soccer fans thrilled to the action of their national sport. In the town square however, the local cathedral religious services quite a dilemma for the religious soccer fan. Posadas is in misiones province so named for the many Jesuit missions that flourished here for a short period in Argentina’s early history. There are ruins scattered throughout the province. But the largest and best preserved, the San Ignacio mini just a few miles to the east. This model is an excellent example of just how grand was this remarkable enclave carved out from the wilds with the Parana jungle. Established in the late 17th century this complex occupies six square blocks. At one time during it’s less than 100 years of service San Ignacio had over 5000 residents. It’s hard to imagine the power and influence the Jesuits welded here during their occupation. What remains of San Ignacio mini is testament to the advanced architectural and artistic skills the Juatini Indians built and served the mission.