Cafayate

Cafayate
Basic data
location	26 ° 4 ′ S , 65 ° 59 ′ W Coordinates: 26 ° 4 ′ S , 65 ° 59 ′ W
Height above d. M .:	1683 m
Population (2001):	11,785
administration
Province :	Salta
Department :	Cafayate
Mayor:	Juan Esteban Ocampo, FJplV
	Others
Postal code :	A4427
Telephone code:	3868
	Cafayate website

Nuestra Señora del Rosario Cathedral in Cafayate
( Our Lady of the Rosary )

Cafayate is the capital of the eponymous department of Cafayate in the province of Salta in north-western Argentina . It is located in the middle of the Valles Calchaquíes in the southwest of the province at an altitude of 1,683 meters, 1,329 kilometers from Buenos Aires and 189 kilometers from Salta . Cafayate is one of the rapidly growing communities in the province of Salta and had 11,785 inhabitants in the last census (2001, INDEC ). In addition to the provincial capital Salta and Cachi , Cafayate is one of the main tourist attractions in the province of Salta.

climate

Cafayate has a dry and mild climate. The sunny days are given as 360, the average annual rainfall is usually less than 250 millimeters.

history

Cafayate was founded in 1840 by Manuel Fernando de Aramburu , who was following his mother's wish to dedicate a sanctuary to the Virgen de Rosario. As a result, Cafayate gained more and more importance compared to the nearby San Carlos , to which it belonged administratively, so that it separated from San Carlos in 1863 and formed its own department. In 1969 Pope Paul VI established the territorial prelature of Cafayate with the Rosary Church as a cathedral .

economy

Cafayate's economic activities are characterized by viticulture and tourism , which are closely related. Viticulture benefits from the low humidity with sunny weather practically all year round and the possibility of compensating for the low rainfall with the most modern irrigation technology. The trademark Cafayates are award-winning white wines from the Torrontés-Riojano grape, which are becoming more and more popular both nationally and internationally. See also the article Viticulture in Argentina .

tourism

Cafayate is a well-known and heavily frequented wine growing area. Some of the cellars are open to the public; there are guided tours and wine tastings . Some wineries have started offering accommodation on their wineries.

In the vicinity of Cafayate are the ruins of Quilmes and Tafí del Valle . Also not far from the city is the Quebrada de las Conchas gorge , also called Quebrada de Cafayate .

Origin of name

The origin of the name Cafayate is controversial. Some believe that it has its origins in Quechua . It is more likely that Cafayate comes from the Kakana of the Diaguitas , a practically unknown language of the indigenous people of the valley today. The suggestions for interpretation are correspondingly diverse. The name Cafayate is attributed, among other things, to a cacique in the region, others say that the name means "water box". The suggestion to see Cafayate as a derivative of Capac-Yac , which means "Big Lake" , goes in the same direction . There are also combinations of meanings, such as Capac-Yaco , which would mean "Lake of the Chief" . In another version, Yaco is equated with "people" and Capac with "wealth" , which taken together results in a "rich people" or "a people who lack nothing" . One final interpretation recognizes the name Cafayate as a "burial place of sorrows / worries / hardship" and thus possibly anticipates its current importance as a wine village.