"Rincón de Atacama" Museum of Paleontology

Located in the Chamber of Commerce Caseros 268
Tel. 0858-21969
Open Mondays through Saturdays from 9 to 12a. m. and from 4 to 7p. m.

In addition to an area devoted to paleontology, which is the most important section, it has sectors dedicated to mineralogy and anthropology. There is also a display of ceramics belonging to the farmer-potter period, pieces from the preceramic period, and others pertaining to the early, middle and late periods and to the Hispanic-Indian period. Exhibits also include funerary urns, weapons, stone axes and mills, and arrowheads. One of the glass cases contains a glyptodont, a mammal with a body covered by a horny and bony armor, related to present-day quirquinchos (armadillo), that inhabited South America for nearly 60 million years and became extinct 10.000 years ago. There are also bones belonging to mastodons, horses and deer that formerly inhabited the region, as well as petrified trunks that were found on the banks of the river Dulce.

Termas de Río Hondo
This city lies on the banks of the river Dulce and is the main touristic attraction of the province because of the quality of its thermal waters. It is located 65km. away from Santiago del Estero on national route No. 9, and 90km. away from San Miguel de Tucumán. It was originally known simply by the name of Termas, but after the small town of Río Hondo disappeared under the waters when the dam was built, it was renamed Termas de Río Hondo. The city has over 150 hotels and inns which are always full to capacity during the winter months.