Cachi is a small city in
Salta ProvinceSalta is a province of Argentina, located in the northwest of the country. Neighboring provinces are from the east clockwise Formosa, Chaco, Santiago del Estero, Tucumán and Catamarca. It also surrounds Jujuy...
Argentina. It is the capital of the Cachi Department.
Although it is often stated that the name is derived from
QuechuaQuechua is a Native American language family spoken primarily in the Andes of South America, derived from an original common ancestor language, Proto-Quechua. It is the most widely spoken language family of the indigenous peoples of the Americas, with a total of probably some 6 to 8 million speakers...
n and means
salt since "the snow of this hill reminds of the color of salt," it is more likely that the name is of Cacán etymology :
kak (stone) -
chi (silence): silent stone.
Cachi is found in the northern sector of the
Calchaquí ValleysCalchaquí Valleys is a valley in the northwestern region of Argentina that crosses the provinces of Catamarca, Tucumán and Salta. It is best known for its contrast of colours and its unique geography that ranges from the mountain desert to the subtropical forest.There are a number of valleys and...
, at the foot of the Nevado de Cachi that flanks it from the west.
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Cachi is a small city in
Salta ProvinceSalta is a province of Argentina, located in the northwest of the country. Neighboring provinces are from the east clockwise Formosa, Chaco, Santiago del Estero, Tucumán and Catamarca. It also surrounds Jujuy...
Argentina. It is the capital of the Cachi Department.
Etymology
Although it is often stated that the name is derived from
QuechuaQuechua is a Native American language family spoken primarily in the Andes of South America, derived from an original common ancestor language, Proto-Quechua. It is the most widely spoken language family of the indigenous peoples of the Americas, with a total of probably some 6 to 8 million speakers...
n and means
salt since "the snow of this hill reminds of the color of salt," it is more likely that the name is of Cacán etymology :
kak (stone) -
chi (silence): silent stone.
Location
Cachi is found in the northern sector of the
Calchaquí ValleysCalchaquí Valleys is a valley in the northwestern region of Argentina that crosses the provinces of Catamarca, Tucumán and Salta. It is best known for its contrast of colours and its unique geography that ranges from the mountain desert to the subtropical forest.There are a number of valleys and...
, at the foot of the Nevado de Cachi that flanks it from the west. The
CafayateCafayate is a town located at the central zone of the Valles Calchaquíes in the province of Salta, Argentina.It sits 1,683 meters above mean sea level, at a distance of 1,329 kilometres from Buenos Aires, 227 from Tucumán, 311 km from Jujuy and 365 km from Catamarca...
, La Poma, Tolombón,
Santa MaríaSanta María is a city in the province of Catamarca, Argentina. It has about 16,000 inhabitants per the , and is the head town of the department of the same name.-References:...
, etc.) and places of interest like the Salar de Pipanaco
Population
The dynamic demographics are important: in 2001, 5254 people were counted, a 17.62% increase over the last census in 1991. Two factors have contributed to the increase: the high birth rate and the movement of people from Salta, Tucumán and Buenos Aires to the region.
Tourism
The population is found surrounded by imposing snow-covered mountains reaching as much as 5,000 meters. The temperature is usually mild and the skies are almost always clear, making the region ideal for mountain climbing. The architecture of the small city is principally of colonial Spanish style with
adobeAdobe is a natural building material made from sand, clay, and water, with some kind of fibrous or organic material , which is shaped into bricks using frames and dried in the sun. It is similar to cob and mudbrick. Adobe structures are extremely durable and account for some of the oldest extant...
homes painted white and built over bases of rock, sporting antique window grills forged of iron. In the Central Plaza is the Church of Chachi, a recognized National Historical Monument, built in the sixteenth century with an exterior from the nineteenth century. Its beams, alters and confession booths are all carved from the porous wood of the
European HollyIlex aquifolium is a species of holly native to western and southern Europe, northwest Africa and southwest Asia....
. The front of the plaza is the main entrance to the Pío Pablo Díaz Archaeological Museum. This museum contains more than 5,000 pieces covering a time period of 10,000 years with a majority covering the time period between 800 BC and 1600 AD. 10 kilometers to the south-southwest of Cachi lies the important ruins of Puerta de La Paya.