Purmamarca

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Purmamarca
Purmamarca 02.JPG
Basic data
location 23 ° 44 ′  S , 65 ° 29 ′  W Coordinates: 23 ° 44 ′  S , 65 ° 29 ′  W
Height above d. M .: 2206  m
Population (2001): 2095
  (Argentina)
 
 
administration
Province : JujuyJujuy Jujuy
Department : Tumbaya
Mayor: David Miguel Barrionuevo
Others
Postal code : Y4618

Purmamarca is a village in the Tumbaya department in the Jujuy Province in northwest Argentina . It is located at an altitude of 2206 meters and is considered the gateway to the Quebrada de Humahuaca gorge . The small, Indian-influenced village had 2095 inhabitants in 2001. The Río Purmamarca flows past the northern edge of the village, and in the south there are colored mountain formations for which Purmamarca is known.

Purmamarca is a traffic junction on Ruta Provincial 16 , which leads west via Susques to the Paso de Jama to Chile. This road is paved up to the border. During the week, the exchange of goods with the neighboring country dominates the traffic, at the weekend tourism. The highest point of this route is the Altos del Morado at 4,170 m.

Three kilometers east of Purmamarca, the Ruta Nacional 9 leads from south to north. It connects the provincial capital San Salvador de Jujuy, 65 kilometers away, with La Quiaca , the border town to Bolivia, and leads past Maimará , Tilcara and Humahuaca through the Quebrada de Humahuaca .

history

Purmamarca was an old resting place on the Camino del Inca long before the Spaniards came. The Spanish town was founded in the 17th century. They registered it under the name given to them by the corn farmers in the area. In Aymara the name means "village of the pristine earth". Since 1975 Purmamarca has been listed as "Lugar Histórico" (historical place).

tourism

Purmamarca is known by Argentinian and foreign tourists because of its picturesque location in the Quebrada de Purmamarca, through which the Río Purmamarca flows, on the edge of the Puna and at the entrance to the Quebrada de Humahuaca. The townscape is characterized by colonial buildings, complemented by modern hotels, hostels and restaurants in the traditional Adobe style . The handicraft market conveys a hustle and bustle during the day that turns into a quiet at night.

Well-known tourist destinations

  • Cerro de los Siete Colores . The "mountain of seven colors" belongs to the Cordillera Oriental and is located west of Purmamarca. The Cerro de los Siete Colores is the product of complex geological processes that took place over a period of 600 million years. The different layers of color are the result of sea, lake and river sediments that were given their current shape through additional tectonic movements of the earth.
  • Paseo de los Colorados . The 3 km long circular path allows a view of sculptures formed by nature on the mountain slopes in the back of Purmamarca.
  • Iglesia de Santa Rosa de Lima . Built in the classic Quebrada style, the whitewashed adobe church from 1648 was declared a national monument in 1941 . Inside the church there is woodwork made from cardón, the wood of the candelabra cactus. On the walls of the single-nave church hang oil paintings by anonymous painters of the 18th century from the painting school of old Cuzco, including the Virgen de Cocharcas, La Piedad and the Inmaculada Concepción, next to the patron saint of the church, Santa Rosa de Lima.
  • Algarrobo Histórico . The age of the carob tree next to the church is estimated to be around 1000 years.
  • Artesanal Fair . The handicraft market is open all year round around the town's main square.

Festivals

  • January. Under the Algarrobo Histórico, the Copleros gather to sing the verses of their ancestors in the shade of the tree.
  • March. The carnival, on the first weekend in March. It begins on Saturday with the banishment of the carnival devil and ends on Wednesday. The carnival cannot be compared to that of Brazil and has its very own tradition.
  • August. The patron saint festival in honor of Santa Rosa de Lima takes place every year on August 30th.

Web links

Commons : Purmamarca  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b Municipalidad de Purmamarca - Jujuy ( Memento from September 26, 2003 in the Internet Archive ) IFAM population statistics (Spanish) INDEC . 2001: 2,095 inhabitants; 1991: 1,776 inhabitants