August 5, 2002

Cafayate, Salta (Argentina)

Odometer: 209,373

Written by: Cris

 

We left the peaceful city of Cafayate and drove to the nearby ruins of the Quilmes people. The drive was very pleasant; we saw a lot of the vineyards for which this region is famous; always surrounded by long lines of alamos to protect the vines from the wind.We also saw the typical adobe houses, with their front galleries, ceramic containers (tinajas), and spanish terracota roof tiles. The characteristic superb weather of the area was also present,  of course. Once in the ruins, we visited the museum and the recently completed hotel, which was built in a way that minimizes the impact on the land. This was acheived by using vernacular techniques and materials, as well as good design that takes advantage of the vistas and abundant luminosity in the area. The ruins per se, although not as striking as some of the others that we have visited along our journey, gave us a good idea of how was life around here before the white man showed up. Each time I visit the site, I can't help feeling a bit of sadness for the way that these people were taken out of their land and forced to migrate to distant Buenos Aires. Many of them died during the migration, and many others once in their new home, victims of exhaustion and white man's diseases.