Humahuaca — Omaguaca Solar Calendar

Your quest for the Omaguaca solar calendar begins in Plaza Manuel Álvarez Prado, the beating heart of Tilcara. Named in honor of a local 19th-century figure, this central square has been a historic gathering point for centuries. Surrounded by colonial buildings and local craft shops, it already served as a crossroads for the Omaguaca people. Here, the first clues to the calendar may be hidden in the patterns of fabrics or wood carvings, inviting you to look beyond the obvious to unravel the secrets of this ancestral civilization.

A short walk from the square, you reach the Iglesia Nuestra Señora del Rosario de Tilcara, an emblematic edifice in Tilcara built around 1690. Its Andean colonial architecture, with its 18th-century carved wooden altarpiece, testifies to the encounter between local traditions and Spanish influence. This main place of worship in the UNESCO-listed Quebrada de Humahuaca has seen generations pass through. Religious symbols might conceal correspondences with the solar calendar, a challenge for your archaeologist's mind during this interactive tour of the northwest's heritage.

Your investigation then leads you to the Museo Arqueológico Dr. Eduardo Casanova, founded in 1958 by the very man you embody. This museum, managed by the University of Buenos Aires and located 100 m from Plaza Manuel Álvarez Prado, houses over 5,000 ceramic and lithic pieces from the Omaguacas, dating from 1000 BC to 1500 AD. It is here, among the pre-Columbian artifacts, that the key to your quest is closest. Every pottery piece, every stone tool, is a fragment of the past waiting to be deciphered to reveal the structure of the solar calendar.

The journey continues towards the Pucará de Tilcara, an Omaguaca archaeological site overlooking the town. This pre-Inca fortification, spanning 3 hectares at an altitude of 2,460 m, was partially reconstructed in the 1950s-1960s by figures like Francisco Moreno and Eduardo Casanova. Dating from the 11th to 16th centuries, its 400 structures are the remains of a complex civilization. The Pucará de Tilcara, one of the major monuments of the Quebrada de Humahuaca, offers you breathtaking views of the northwest landscapes, and it is in the alignment of the stones that you might find the ultimate astronomical clues to the calendar.

Your exploration of Tilcara's and the Quebrada's heritage concludes at the Puente sobre el Río Grande, a historic 20th-century bridge offering views of the quebrada. This key crossing point, integrated into local pedestrian paths, symbolizes the connection between different eras and cultures. After walking 1.5 km and spending approximately 135 minutes deciphering mysteries, you will have not only reconstructed the Omaguaca solar calendar but also experienced a deep immersion in the history of Jujuy. This stroll will leave you with a unique understanding of the peoples who inhabited this land, and the satisfaction of having uncovered a millennial secret during this interactive visit.