Simoca is a city 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 ...

, Argentina. It is known for its market and hosts the national festivals of the fair (''feria'') and the

sulky A sulky is a lightweight cart with two wheels and a seat for the driver, generally pulled by horses or dogs. With horses, a sulky is used for harness racing. The term is also used for an arch-mounted cart on wheels or crawler tracks, used in ...

, which is still widely used in the area especially on market day - Saturday. Simoca is located 52 km south of

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 ...

on the national route No. 157 on the way to Córdoba. It is the main town in the

Simoca Department Simoca Department is a department in Tucumán Province, Argentina. It has a population of 29,932 (2001) and an area of 1,261 km2. The seat of the department is in Simoca. Municipalities and communes * Atahona *Buena Vista * Ciudacita * Man ...

. As of 2010, Simoca was recorded as having 8,351 inhabitants. Simoca is principally a rural centre, supporting the local

sugar cane Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of (often hybrid) tall, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with stout, jointed, fibrous stalks t ...

industry and other agriculture. It is known for its pork products and larger than usual ''

empanada An empanada is a type of baked or fried turnover consisting of pastry and filling, common in Spanish, other Southern European, Latin American, and Iberian-influenced cultures around the world. The name comes from the Spanish (to bread, i.e., ...

''s, a delicacy especially popular in Tucumán. The market sells pork and live pigs, as well as other foodstuffs, clothes, crafts and traditional snacks and meals. It is believed to date back to the founding of Simoca in the 17th century.

History

The indigenous Beliches and Simocas were the first people to inhabit this area. These two indigenous groups were of Tonocote and Lule origin. The first ''Fiesta de la Feria'' took place in July 1980. The first ''Festival Nacional del Sulky'' was organised in 1973 in the Estadio Club Unión Simoca.

External links

Simoca municipality
Populated places in Tucumán Province Populated places established in 1956 {{Tucumán-geo-stub