Tilcara

San Francisco de Tilcara
San Francisco de Tilcara is located in Argentina
San Francisco de Tilcara
San Francisco de Tilcara
Location of San Francisco de Tilcara in Argentina
Coordinates: 23°34′S 65°22′W / 23.567°S 65.367°W / -23.567; -65.367
Country Argentina
Province Jujuy
DepartmentTilcara
Government
 • MayorRicardo Romero (PJ)
Area
 • Total
1.2 km2 (0.5 sq mi)
Elevation
2,465 m (8,087 ft)
Population
 (2010 census)
 • Total
6,249
 • Density5,200/km2 (13,000/sq mi)
Demonymtilcareño/a
Time zoneUTC−3 (ART)
CPA base
Y4624
Dialing code+54 388

San Francisco de Tilcara (usually referred to as Tilcara) is a city in the province of Jujuy, Argentina, and the head town of the Tilcara Department. It had 6,249 inhabitants at the 2010 census [INDEC]. Traces of human habitation in the area date back more than 10,000 years, making it one of the oldest continuously inhabited settlements of Argentina.

Tilcara is located 84 km from the provincial capital, San Salvador de Jujuy, beside National Route 9, at about 2,500 m above sea level, well within the first heights of the Andes.

The area features dramatic mountainous landscapes and rich aboriginal traditions, which make it a major tourist attraction in northwestern Argentina, with several nearby hiking tracks also attracting visitors.

Possibly the biggest attraction in Tilcara is the nearby Pucará de Tilcara, the partially reconstructed ruins of a pre-Inca pukara, Quechua for "fortress",[1] located a few kilometers away from the city of Tilcara on a hill with an impressive view of the valley of the Río Grande.

  1. ^ Teofilo Laime Ajacopa (2007). Diccionario Bilingüe: Iskay simipi yuyayk’anch: Quechua – Castellano / Castellano – Quechua (PDF). La Paz, Bolivia: futatraw.ourproject.org.