Cafayate () is a town located at the central zone of the

Valles Calchaquíes Valles may refer to: Places *Interandean Valles, a region that is home to most of the human population and agricultural production of the central Andes of Peru, Bolivia, and northwest Argentina *Vallès, a region in Catalonia, Spain, comprising th ...

in the province of

Salta Salta () is the capital and largest city in the Argentine province of the same name. With a population of 618,375 according to the 2010 census, it is also the 7th most-populous city in Argentina. The city serves as the cultural and economic ce ...

, Argentina. It sits above mean sea level, at a distance of from

Salta City Salta () is the capital and largest city in the Argentine province of the same name. With a population of 618,375 according to the 2010 census, it is also the 7th most-populous city in Argentina. The city serves as the cultural and economic c ...

and from Buenos Aires. It has about 12,000 inhabitants (). The town is an important tourist centre for exploring the Calchaquíes valleys, and because of the quality and originality of the wines produced in the area. The town was founded in 1840 by Manuel Fernando de Aramburu, at the site of a mission. In 1863 the Cafayate Department was created, of which Cafayate is the capital.

Etymology

The Cafayates were a tribe of the Diaguita- Calchaquí group, which, together with the related

Tolombón Tolombón is a village and rural municipality in Salta Province in northwestern Argentina.Ministerio del Interior
It ...

, inhabited the

prior to the arrival of the

Spanish Conquistadores Conquistadors (, ) or conquistadores (, ; meaning 'conquerors') were the explorer-soldiers of the Spanish and Portuguese Empires of the 15th and 16th centuries. During the Age of Discovery, conquistadors sailed beyond Europe to the Americas, O ...

. Their language was known as Cacán. Like other Diaguita tribes, they had recently fallen under the influence of the Incas, after a prolonged resistance. They later mounted a fierce resistance to the Spaniards. Even though most agree that the root of ''Cafayate'' is Quechua, the meaning of the term is disputed. Some claim it to mean "Box of Water", others to be a deformation of ''Capac-Yac'' ("Great Lake") or '' Capac-Yaco'' ("Great Chief" or "Wealthy People"). Another Cacán version understands it as "Grave of Sorrows".

Wines

The wine production is most important in the Valles Calchaquíes. The wines produced in the region benefit from the low-humidity mild weather of the valleys that receive an average of less than 250 mm of precipitation per year. The most characteristic type of wine cultivated in the area is

torrontés Torrontés is a white grape variety, mostly produced and known in Argentine wine, producing fresh, aromatic wines with moderate acidity, smooth texture and mouthfeel as well as distinctive peach and apricot aromas on the nose.Robinson, Jancis ''V ...

. Most wine-cellars around the town host free guided tours. File:Vineyards near mountains.jpg, View of a vineyard bordering on a mountain File:Cafayatemountains.jpg, Just 3 blocks from town File:ViñedoCafayate.jpg, A winery set between vineyards and mountains File:Cafayate vineyard.jpg, A view across the valley with vineyard in the foreground File:Argentine vineyard and mountains..jpg, Vineyard and mountains File:Bodega Michel Torino - Outside Cafayate - Argentina 02.jpg, View over winery rooftops

Valles Calchaquíes

Many of the most impressive sights in the Valley of the Río las Conchas (Quebrada de Cafayate) are along the paved, 183-kilometres-long National Route 68 that goes from

to Cafayate. National Route 40 goes for 165 kilometres from Cafayate to

Cachi Cachi may refer to: * Cachi, Argentina *Cachi Department, Argentina * Cachi, Costa Rica *Lake Cachi, Costa Rica See also * Cachy, a commune in France * Kachi (disambiguation) Kachi, Kacchi, Kachhi or Katchi may refer to: Places in Iran * Kachi ...

, another of the most visited points in the area (please note that this stretch of RN40 is not paved and should be avoided during the raining season). Other points of interest from Cafayate include Molinos, Tolombón and San Isidro ranch. The town of Cafayate is an attraction by itself, with its laid-back rhythm, colonial style, and wine cellars open to the public. File:Cafayate Amphitheatre.JPG, The natural Amphitheatre File:Tour to the Quebrada de las Conchas.jpg, People on a Tour File:Desert River, Salta, Argentina.jpg, Desert river File:Las Juntas-Cafayate.jpg, Las Juntas - Cafayate File:Llama closeup.jpg, Llama

References

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Etymology

Wines

Valles Calchaquíes

References

External links