Archaeological Museum

Corner of General Güemes and Rivadavia streets
Tel. 0868-95049
Open Mondays through Sundays from 10a.m. to 2p.m.

Its three halls contain exhibits of archaeological objects pertaining to the preceramic period, the early and late period of farmer-potters, and the Inca and Hispanic-Indian periods. There is also an ancient confessional from the church, rings, rosaries and personal effects such as leather and wooden trunks, arrowheads and plates decorated with native paintings. But perhaps the most noteworthy exhibits are a mummified infant and two urns containing Indian remains.

San Carlos
This town lies in the heart of the Calchaquí Valleys, 220km. away from the city of Salta if one travels down national routes No. 68 and No. 40, and at a distance of 289km. if one follows the route that passes first by Cachi, which implies traveling down Provintial route No. 33 and then switching to route No. 40. In the first case, most of the road is paved, whilst in the second case it is mainly a consolidated dirt road. In both cases, the road winds around the mountain slopes. The Spaniards founded several cities in this area that were destroyed by the Indians. One of these was the itinerant Ciudad del Barco, founded in 1551. When Don Hernando de Lerma was called on to found the city of Salta in 1582, he assembled the neighbors of Santiago to submit to their consideration the site where the new Spanish bastion was to be erected. San Carlos lost the possibility of becoming the capital of Salta by three votes. The Indian chief Juan Calchaquí also settled here until the Jesuits, intent on preaching the gospel, established the mission known as San Carlos Borromeo giving rise to the town which remains virtually intact since colonial times. A distinctive feature are its high sidewalks.