From Humahuaca's plaza, a staircase climbs to the Monumento a la Independencia, a vulgarity produced by local sculptor Ernesto Soto Avendaño. The sculpture exemplifies indigenismo, a widespread tendency in Latin American art to romantically but patronizingly extol the virtues of native cultures overwhelmed by colonialism.
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
8.3 MILES
Located 25km east of Humahuaca, this jagged row of rock 'teeth' offers utterly spectacular colors. Tours run here but it's drivable in a normal car with…
26.5 MILES
This reconstructed pre-Columbian fortification is 1km south of Tilcara's center, across an iron bridge. Its location is strategic, commanding the river…
29.43 MILES
Part of a chain that ran from Lima to Buenos Aires during viceregal times, La Posta de Hornillos is a beautifully restored staging post 11km south of…
6.82 MILES
It’s not often that you imagine the heavenly host armed with muzzle-loading weapons, but in this roadside village’s picturesque 17th-century church that’s…
25.82 MILES
This well-presented collection of regional artifacts in a striking colonial house has some pieces from the pucará just south of the center. Exhibits offer…
0.13 MILES
The lovable cabildo (municipal building), built in the Spanish Moorish style in the 1940s, is famous for its clock tower, where a life-size figure of San…
Nearby Quebrada de Humahuaca attractions
0.13 MILES
The lovable cabildo (municipal building), built in the Spanish Moorish style in the 1940s, is famous for its clock tower, where a life-size figure of San…
6.82 MILES
It’s not often that you imagine the heavenly host armed with muzzle-loading weapons, but in this roadside village’s picturesque 17th-century church that’s…
8.3 MILES
Located 25km east of Humahuaca, this jagged row of rock 'teeth' offers utterly spectacular colors. Tours run here but it's drivable in a normal car with…
25.82 MILES
This well-presented collection of regional artifacts in a striking colonial house has some pieces from the pucará just south of the center. Exhibits offer…
26.5 MILES
This reconstructed pre-Columbian fortification is 1km south of Tilcara's center, across an iron bridge. Its location is strategic, commanding the river…
29.43 MILES
Part of a chain that ran from Lima to Buenos Aires during viceregal times, La Posta de Hornillos is a beautifully restored staging post 11km south of…