Santa María Department – Culture, Crafts and Culinary Delights
Accommodation in Santa María Department
In Santa María Department, pre-Columbian history, vibrant craft traditions and regional specialities come together. Markets and festivals each bring their own seasonal highlights; experiences range from a village on National Route 40 to a pre-Hispanic settlement in the Sierra del Cajón. When choosing your holiday rental, your reason for travelling may therefore be a factor: would you like to experience markets and seasonal festivals, or are landscape, history and insights into local crafts your main interests?
Landscape and traces of ancient routes
The high-altitude village of Cerro Pintado de Las Mojarras lies on a 100-metre-high hill beside National Route 40. The Inca road is thought to have once run there. This historical connection remains a conjecture, but it makes the site an interesting starting point for travellers interested in the history of ancient routes.
Rincón Chico offers a different perspective on the past: this pre-Columbian village comprises at least 365 structures across an area of approximately 39.6 hectares. It is located on a mountain spur of the Sierra del Cajón. The landscape is shaped by white quartz veins, pegmatite outcrops in a drainage channel, and dark phyllite and slate formations. Visitors interested in archaeological settlements and geology will find two very different topics coming together at the same described location.
Culture, markets and festivals
Various markets run by entrepreneurs take place on Plaza Gral. Manuel Belgrano on Fridays. On Saturdays, local artisans and producers sell their goods at the Feria Arcoiris. The two market days have different focuses: Friday is for the entrepreneurs’ markets, while Saturday features goods from local producers and artisans. If you would like to plan your trip around a market visit, take these days of the week into account when choosing your travel dates.
Festivals also shape the calendar. Every year on 2 February, Santa María celebrates Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria, the city’s patron saint; the city’s founding is celebrated on the same day. The Festival del Cabrito takes place every year during Holy Week in El Cerrito. The Fiesta de la Capia is held in Santa María in winter. The Fiesta Nacional Santa María la Reina del Yokavil was conceived in 1967 and began in the summer of 1968. These different dates can help you narrow down a possible reason for your trip.
Regional specialities and crafts
The Ruta de la Capia introduces an alfajor from Santa María, made with capia corn and homemade dulce de leche. This adds a culinary connection to the Fiesta de la Capia. Dulces y Licores offers visits and tastings of sweets and liqueurs made in Santa María from fruit grown in the valley. At Nuestras Especias, you can find out where spices from the Calchaquí Valley are ground, including cumin, oregano, rosemary and sweet paprika. Vinos de Altura, in turn, offers visits to wineries where high-quality wines are made at high altitudes.
Traditional production methods are also at the heart of several experiences. Cestería en Simbol demonstrates how unique baskets are made from Simbol. Textiles del Valle showcases the processing of fibres into yarn and the creation of woven garments from different types of wool. Together with the spices and wine on offer, these provide a selection of insights into regional products and craftwork.
More discoveries and excursion ideas
The Museo Arte Sacro Ntra Sra Candelaria displays Christian sacred art and tangible and intangible cultural heritage alongside the heritage of pre-Columbian cultures. Those more interested in active pursuits can consider trekking as one way to reach particularly interesting places in Santa María; no specific routes are provided.
The Quilla Punco astronomy school complex includes an area with information about all the constellations, an observatory with a high-resolution telescope, a planetarium and an interpretation centre. There, pupils from School No. 220 and nearby communities observe constellations and planets. Astronomy is another of Santa María’s distinctive subjects, thanks to Quilla Punco.
For further orientation in Santa María Department, you can also find the places El Volcán, Santa María and Loro Huasi.
For the broader travel overview: Catamarca.
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