Amaicha Del Valle – Homage to Pachamama (Mother Earth)

As our plans to visit the ruins of Quilmes had been scuppered, we decided to visit Amaicha del Valle. Friends had told us it was worth a stop, if only to visit the Museo Pachamama, so we decided to stay a night and see what the place was like.

Getting from Cafayate to Amaicha isn’t easy. There is only one bus company (Aconquija) and their departure times of 2am (absolutely no way!), 6am (not a chance!) and 6.30pm (we didn’t want to stay all day in Cafayate) were not exactly convenient for us. The hostel managed to barter a taxi down to 60 pesos so we thought it made sense to travel in relative comfort and at a time to suit ourselves. As we left down Ruta 40 it soon became apparent why travel can be difficult during the wet season. We forded countless streams running across the road and they left behind them deep banks of muddy sediment. It made progress much slower than anticipated!

When we arrived in Amaicha we headed to the Hostal L’Apacheta which overlooks the (less than picturesque) main plaza. It was cheap, comfortable and friendly, just what we were looking for. After lunch we walked out to the Museo Pachamama.

For a museum which receives little publicity this was amazing and, in our opinion, a MUST SEE in this region! It is an eclectic collection of works of art, sculpture, paintings and tapestries, all paying homage to Mother Earth. Most of the collection is outdoors and we couldn’t decide if it was fascinating, weird, eccentric or eclectic! The indoor collections also included a museum of mineralogy showing the amazing variety of precious stones and minerals found in the nearby hills which have been extensively mined over the centuries. At first we had a guide to show us around the museum and art collections, but he was hardly enthusiastic and didn’t respond too well to questions. That was the only downside to a wonderful afternoon.

In the evening Amaicha is a very quiet place, maybe even desolate! We were lucky to find the Iguana “Resto-bar” as we wandered around the deserted streets. Imagine coming to a tiny little place like this and finding some wonderful Arabic cuisine on offer. Russ was very content, whilst Trish made the most of the availability of goat on the regional menus!

The next day the sun shone for the only time on this trip! After buying our bus tickets to Tafí, we walked out to what was marked on the map as a sculpture of the Virgin Mary from the local Algorroble wood. It was about half a mile and an easy stroll through the outskirts of the village. Nothing could have quite prepared us for what we saw though! In 1996 a German sculptor spent 7 months carving a statue of the Virgin Mary from a fallen tree. It was quite a work of art, but we had expected something in the more traditional style. Instead, she looked more like a goalkeeper pulling off an acrobatic save during a football game! Now that may sound disingenuous, maybe even slightly blasphemous, but look at the photo and judge for yourself!!

We walked back to the centre along the dry river bed where the mineral deposits sparkled in the sunlight. Apart from the smell, which we soon discovered to be a decomposing dog (!!!), it was a pleasant walk.

The bus to Tafí was late of course. The scenery was spectacular though, as the road twisted and turned through the undulating countryside. It passed the nearby observatory which, on a clear night, is probably worth a visit. You can actually stay there if you wish. The view was of a dry land which was just seeing the fruits of the recent rains. Once we crossed the peak and descended towards Tafí, all of that changed! The views became luscious and green, and for good reason. It rained, and rained, and rained!! With a name like Tafí we wondered if we would be reminded of Wales. The mountains were reminiscent of the Brecon Beacons and the weather, well, it was just as we remembered from South Wales!!!

Unfortunately the weather didn’t improve the next day. We couldn’t even see the hills so we decided to call it a day and head back to Salta. It’s a shame because we wanted to walk around the Lago Angostura, visit the Museo del Dueñde (Elf Museum of local Myths and Legends) and also to see the Monolith Park near El Mollar.

With good weather we would imagine Tafí to be a very special place to hang out for a few days. In the rain it wasn’t so special though, and had the feel of an off-season mountain retreat. Don’t let that put you off going though, you might have more luck with the weather!

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