The Ruins of Quilmes is an archaeological site in 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 ...

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 ...

, Argentina. The site was the largest

pre-Columbian In the history of the Americas, the pre-Columbian era spans from the original settlement of North and South America in the Upper Paleolithic period through European colonization, which began with Christopher Columbus's voyage of 1492. Usually, th ...

settlement in the country, occupying about 30 hectares. The area dates back to ca 850 AD and was inhabited by the

Quilmes people The Quilmes people, also known as ''Kilmes'', were an indigenous tribe of the Diaguita group settled in the western subandean valleys of today’s Tucumán province, in northwestern Argentina. They fiercely resisted the Inca invasions of the 15t ...

; it is believed that about 5,000 people lived here during its heights. Although discovered in 1888 by Samuel Alejandro Lafone Quevedo, the ruins were first studied in 1897 by the archaeologist

Juan Bautista Ambrosetti Juan Bautista Ambrosetti (August 22, 1865May 28, 1917) was an Argentine archaeologist, ethnographer and naturalist who helped pioneer anthropology in his country. Life and work Ambrosetti was born in Gualeguay, Entre Ríos Province, in 1865. He ...

References

{{Coord, -26.4638116, -66.0379601, format=dms, type:landmark, display=title Archaeological sites in Argentina Buildings and structures in Tucumán Province Former populated places in Argentina 1888 archaeological discoveries