El Mollar is a settlement in

Tucumán Province Tucumán () is the most densely populated, and the second-smallest by land area, of the provinces of Argentina. Located in the northwest of the country, the province has the capital of San Miguel de Tucumán, often shortened to Tucumán. Neigh ...

in northern

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

. The locality and rural community of El Mollar is located in the

Tafí del Valle Department Tafí del Valle Department is a department in Tucumán Province, Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an ar ...

, in the west of the

Argentine Argentines (mistakenly translated Argentineans in the past; in Spanish (masculine) or (feminine)) are people identified with the country of Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Argentines, s ...

province of Tucumán. It is 103 km from the provincial capital,

San Miguel de Tucumán San Miguel de Tucumán (; usually called simply Tucumán) is the capital and largest city of Tucumán Province, located in northern Argentina from Buenos Aires. It is the fifth-largest city of Argentina after Buenos Aires, Córdoba, Rosario an ...

by Provincial Route 307, which joins National Route 38 at

Acheral Acheral is a settlement in Tucumán Province in the Monteros Department in northern Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argen ...

Toponymy

“El Mollar” is a

Quechua Quechua may refer to: *Quechua people, several indigenous ethnic groups in South America, especially in Peru *Quechuan languages, a Native South American language family spoken primarily in the Andes, derived from a common ancestral language **So ...

name deriving from ”molle” (pepper tree), a variety of tree that grows in the locality.

Geography

The settlement of El Mollar is located almost in the centre of the Tafí valley, beneath the slopes of the Cerro Ñuñorco hill, and beside the artificial lake of Angostura. Since the opening of the road in the 1940s, it has grown rapidly, like the whole of the Tafí valley and the

Calchaquí Valleys The Calchaquí Valley ( es, Valles Calchaquíes) is an area in the northwestern region of Argentina which crosses the provinces of Catamarca, Tucumán, Jujuy and Salta. It is best known for its contrast of colors and its unique geography that r ...

. One of the main characteristics of the area is the presence of archeological relics of the ancient Tafí culture (300 BC – 800 AD), part of the

Diaguita The Diaguita people are a group of South American indigenous people native to the Chilean Norte Chico and the Argentine Northwest. Western or Chilean Diaguitas lived mainly in the Transverse Valleys which incised in a semi-arid environment. Ea ...

or Santamaria culture. These include mortars, cairns, and

menhir A menhir (from Brittonic languages: ''maen'' or ''men'', "stone" and ''hir'' or ''hîr'', "long"), standing stone, orthostat, or lith is a large human-made upright stone, typically dating from the European middle Bronze Age. They can be foun ...

s. These menhirs, according to archaeologists, could have been used as astronomical measuring instruments, solar clocks, or as a symbol of some social or religious hierarchy. These

phallic A phallus is a penis (especially when erect), an object that resembles a penis, or a mimetic image of an erect penis. In art history a figure with an erect penis is described as ithyphallic. Any object that symbolically—or, more precisely ...

monolith A monolith is a geological feature consisting of a single massive stone or rock, such as some mountains. For instance, Savandurga mountain is a monolith mountain in India. Erosion usually exposes the geological formations, which are often ma ...

s, some of them bearing still visible carvings, originally stood at different locations throughout the valley, but under the 1976 - 1983 military dictatorship they were brought together at their present location in the Parque de los Menhires, close to the village. This was in order, it was said, to preserve them and protect them from damage by visitors. They measure up to reach 3m in height and 60 cm breadth, and on some of them one face bears carvings with symbolic designs, snakes and human figures. In 1960 the image of the Virgin of Covadonga was brought from Spain, and is now worshipped in a picturesque chapel. Very close to El Mollar, and extending towards

Tafí del Valle Tafí del Valle is a city in Tucumán, Argentina. It is located in the department of the same name, of which it is the main settlement, in the west of the Argentine province of Tucumán, 126 km from the provincial capital, San Miguel d ...

, is the artificial lake of Angostura. In addition to its setting among often snow-capped mountains, it offers attractions in the form of fishing and water sports. The "Feast of Vegetation” is celebrated every January.

Earthquakes

Earthquake An earthquake (also known as a quake, tremor or temblor) is the shaking of the surface of the Earth resulting from a sudden release of energy in the Earth's lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, from ...

s in the area of Tucumán province (north-central Argentina) are frequent but mostly of low intensity. Moderate to severe earthquakes occur at approximately 30-year intervals. Among the most notable earthquakes to affect the region were those of

1861 Statistically, this year is considered the end of the whale oil industry and (in replacement) the beginning of the petroleum oil industry. Events January–March * January 1 ** Benito Juárez captures Mexico City. ** The first steam-p ...

and 1931.

References

External links

Ente Tucumán Turismo
Tourist information for the province of Tucumán
Guia Noroeste
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tafi del Valle Populated places in Tucumán Province Tourist attractions in Tucumán Province

Toponymy

Geography

Earthquakes

See also

References

External links