Abra Pampa

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Abra Pampa
Basic data
location 22 ° 43 ′  S , 65 ° 42 ′  W Coordinates: 22 ° 43 ′  S , 65 ° 42 ′  W
Height above d. M .: 3484  m
Population (2001): 9425
  (Argentina)
 
 
administration
Province : JujuyJujuy Jujuy
Department : Cochinoca
Mayor: Ariel Adolfo Machaca
Others
Postal code : Y4640
Telephone code: 03887

Abra Pampa is the capital of the Cochinoca department in the Jujuy Province in the far northwest of Argentina . After La Quiaca , it is the second largest city in the Argentine Puna .

Abra Pampa is a dusty place with low houses on the Ruta Nacional 9 , which connects the place with the provincial capital San Salvador de Jujuy (224 km) and the border town La Quiaca (73 km), on the border with Bolivia . Cochinoca , the old capital, is only 22 km away. Abra Pampa lies at an altitude of 3484 meters, at the foot of Cerro Huancar, seven kilometers to the south .

history

Abra Pampa was founded on August 30, 1883 as the new capital of the department. Its founding name was Siberia Argentina and should remind of the penetrating winter cold of the Puna . Since this name did not catch on, they returned to the name under which this place was already known before the city was founded: Abra Pampa.

Population growth accelerated with the construction of the Ferrocarril General Manuel Belgrano railway line in 1907. The last growth spurt was recorded in 1986 when the Pirquitas lead mine in Rinconada department was closed and some of the workers decided to move to Abra Pampa.

economy

Livestock is the primary economic activity, followed by handicrafts. The breeding of llamas , vicuñas and sheep provides the wool, which is processed into fabrics in the family businesses of the Puna cooperative . There is also clay, wood and stone work. Some painters exhibit their pictures. Sheep's cheese is a culinary specialty of the region.

tourism

The tourist infrastructure of Abra Pampas is not very developed. Daily bus connections lead to Cochinoca , Rinconada and Casabindo , where the only Argentine bullfight attracts a national audience every year. The way of life of the Punas, which has hardly changed for centuries, finds the interest of tourists as does the Laguna de los Pozuelos (50 km).

At Cerro Huancar , sandboarding is practiced on the light, fine-grain sand dunes .

Others

  • Museo Arqueológico Leopoldo Aban (Sarmiento, Salón Parroquial, opposite the plaza). Opened in August 1997, this museum is one of the newest in the region. In addition to archaeological finds, the museum shows pictures by local painters as well as objects from the daily life of the people in the Puna.
  • Abra Pampa Miraflores . Agricultural research station. Here are vicunas bred in semi-liberty.
  • Ruta Nacional 40 . The Ruta Nacional 40 began or ended earlier in Abra Pampa .

Events

  • Festival Folklórico del Huancar (January). Fair at the foot of Cerro Huancar .
  • Patron feast in honor of San Antonio de Padua (June 13th)
  • Inti Raymi (June 20-21). The Inca Sun Festival opens the new agricultural cycle with a folk festival on Cerro Huancar.
  • Feria Andina de la llama (August). Exhibition and sale of camelids as part of a folk festival.

Web links