Alta Gracia and the Jesuit Estancias

South America » Argentina » Córdoba » Alta Gracia
October 27th 2012

Published: October 23rd 2014

Alta Gracia--Cultural Treasures Alta Gracia is the biggest city, 45,000 people, that I visited in the mountains surrounding beautiful Cordoba. Like the other towns, it was built along a gurgling, shady river, perfect for strolling. However, it also held several cultural treasures such as one of the region's well-restored, UNESCO-designated, former Jesuit estancias/ranches, as well as the house... Read Full Entry

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Tara Cloud

taracloud

I´m a one-way ticket, slow traveler, relishing the freedom of the open road and trusting serendipity to guide my journey. When I was younger, I used to travel for a year at a time. Then a few years ago, I roamed Europe and North Africa for three and a half years and liked that even better. On August 1st, 2010, I left my peaceful Mission Canyon paradise in Santa Barbara's mellow summer and emerged from a couple of planes a day and a world later in the teeming, sub-zero streets of Buenos Aires´winter. Now, with the Andes, Amazon and Galapagos between here and home, will three years be enou... full info

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23rd October 2014

D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley

Wow, wow, wow
Fantastic, fabulous. Very cool

24th October 2014

taracloud
Tara Cloud

Thanks!
So glad you like this little guy, Merry Jo! It was pretty amazing to have her/him look me straight in the eye.

24th October 2014

Jeremyaroundtheworld
Jeremy Chiron

Lovely get away! Beautiful architecture and blue sky! History and refinement...
Jacaranda... There's something magical about this name!

24th October 2014

taracloud
Tara Cloud

History and refinement ;~}
Jeremy, I thought of you here because of my bike-riding roommates, and yes, it was a very beautiful town. Lovely spring jacarandas are native to and all over South America as well as in my California town, so they always make me a little nostalgic.

24th October 2014

Roger Sutherland
non-member comment

Fabulous, fabulous!
I love the photography.

24th October 2014

taracloud
Tara Cloud

blue skies
Thanks, Roger. I think the photos were fab because it was so beautiful, and I was lucky enough to have blue skies.

24th October 2014

cabochick
Andrea

Wow, isn't that lovely with the Jacarandas.

24th October 2014

taracloud
Tara Cloud

Thanks, Andrea!
A sunset and jacarandas--really what could be better? I'm glad you liked it.

24th October 2014

mahadev
Paul Joseph Drielsma

Jacaranda reminding me of Australia
Great shots as usual.... In Sydney for one, we have Jacaranda's lining inner city suburbs and dropping their purple carpets just when the red Flame Tree flowers are in bloom... Well those Jesuits had it all... slaves, self-loathing flagellation.... what a life? :)

24th October 2014

taracloud
Tara Cloud

Jacarandas and Jesuits
It's so great when something like the jacarandas remind you of home. Tricky thing with the Jesuits down here--although they exploited the indigenous people, they actually protected them from worse predations from the Spanish capitalists. See the film, The Mission, for a typical and horrendous example.

25th October 2014

Dancing Dave
David Hooper

Alta Gracia
Why do the wealthy build magnificent churches? But great that they do. This one is a beauty Tara.

25th October 2014

taracloud
Tara Cloud

Churches, palaces, castles
Thanks, David--the churches in South America and this confection were magnificent. I imagine the wealthy build impressive structures to impress. I guess our beautiful banks and office complexes (Rockefeller Square) are their modern equivalents. Still, I do love them!

25th October 2014

Helga
non-member comment

gorgeous
What a gorgeous spot. The (your?) pictures are wonderful. A friend and I did a oral history of an elderly woman who talked about estancias - we couldn't quite figure out if she lived in or near one. Reading your description, which, as always, was wonderful, I remembered her comments.

25th October 2014

taracloud
Tara Cloud

Thanks, Helga!
So glad you liked my photos! How great that you worked on an oral history--so wonderful to preserve these memories of almost-forgotten times. We in California also had huge estancias attached to the Spanish Franciscan missions where the indigenous people raised food, wine and cattle. When the Mexicans took over, they secularized the missions and sold the estancias as big ranches, often to Americans. Amazing your elderly woman knew of these!

26th October 2014

littlewing
Cindy

So Pretty
Beautiful blog and photographs Tara...Inspired me to go outside and give my baby Jacaranda a good drink and some fertiliser!

26th October 2014

taracloud
Tara Cloud

jacaranda heaven
Thanks for your kind words, Cindy, and how wonderful that you have a jacaranda of your own. They're all over in temperate climates, so they can always remind us of home.

27th October 2014

A Small Swede in the Big World
Per-Olof Persson

Wonderful!
What a wonderful place it seems to be, I can't wait to get there! Probably won't be for yet another couple of years though, but I'll sure go there!

27th October 2014

taracloud
Tara Cloud

Meet you here, Per-Olof!
Well, I'll probably be still here since it's been four years of travel, and I've a long way to get home. Hope to see you!

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Alta Gracia and the Jesuit Estancias

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