In Tafí del Valle Department, several ways of exploring history and landscape sit side by side: reconstructed settlement areas, carved menhirs, and protected areas with archaeological connections. When choosing destinations, it helps to distinguish between a settlement’s layout, individual stone monuments, and the interplay of natural and cultural heritage.

Quilmes: Settlement Layout and Interpretation

The Ciudad Sagrada de Quilmes was restored in the 1970s. Visitors can see reconstructed residential areas, agricultural terraces, a fortress on the hilltop, and defensive structures along the sides. Taken together, these features point to different aspects of the settlement: living, agricultural use, and defense. This shifts the focus from a single structure to a settlement with several identifiable components.

The Centro de Interpretación de Quilmes is located right next to the archaeological site. Its four educational rooms present the origins, everyday life, customs, and displacement of the Quilmes through visual, auditory, and tactile means. While the reconstructed settlement shows its built form, the Centro provides historical context through these themes and different ways of presenting them.

Menhirs and Trail Connections in El Mollar

Another archaeological highlight is the Museo Arqueológico a Cielo Abierto Los Menhires in El Mollar. About 124 carved, elongated stones can be seen there; they are up to three meters tall and more than 2,000 years old. Unlike Quilmes, where residential areas, terraces, and fortifications shape the site, here the focus is on individual stone monuments. The sites also differ in their time perspective: Quilmes was restored in the 1970s, while the menhirs are more than 2,000 years old.

Los Menhires can be visited with a guide; check in advance whether guided visits are currently available. The Sendero Santa Lucía–El Mollar ends at Hostería La Angostura in El Mollar. El Mollar is therefore both home to the archaeological collection and the endpoint of this trail in the department.

Protected Areas and Ancient Trail Traces

Parque Provincial Los Ñuñorcos and Reserva Natural Quebrada del Portugués are located in Tafí del Valle Department. The Ñuñorco Grande and Ñuñorco Chico hills were part of the ancient Inca road; archaeological sites are located there. Reserva Natural Quebrada del Portugués was established in 1996 to preserve the area’s natural and cultural heritage. Together, these places illustrate different connections between archaeological traces and the preservation of natural and cultural heritage.

Tucumán in a Broader Context

In the broader destination of Tucumán lies Parque Nacional Aconquija. It protects Argentina’s southernmost remaining area of Yungas, as well as high-altitude Andean landscapes. The trail to Laguna del Tesoro in the park is twelve kilometers long and takes about six hours one way; it is rated moderate to challenging.

Casa Histórica de Tucumán is also part of the broader destination of Tucumán. The colonial house is located in downtown San Miguel de Tucumán, the provincial capital. The independence of the United Provinces of South America was signed there on July 9, 1816.

Discover More Destinations

Discover more destinations: Amaichá Del Valle, Calimonte, Yerba Buena Department, Tafí Viejo Department, Simoca Department, Chicligasta Department, Lules Department, Graneros.

To the broader travel overview: Tucumán.