Pucara de Tilcara
by Luchonda
"Ruins of the Inca Empire"
Quebrada de Humahuaca follows the line of a major cultural route, the Camino Inca, along the spectacular valley of the Rio Grande, from its source in the cold high desert plateau of the High Andean lands to its confluence with the Rio Leone some 150 km to the south. The valley shows substantial evidence of its use as a major trade route over the past 10,000 years. It features visible traces of prehistoric hunter-gatherer communities, of the Inca Empire (15th to 16th centuries) and of the fight for independence in the 19th and 20th centuries.
TILCARA : RUINS AND CARNAVAL
by swesn
I walked out to Pukara, a pre-Inca fortress on top of a hill not far from Tilcara. Although it was a fortress, being on an inaccessible hill, it actually had no high walls around it.
Several stone-houses had been reconstructed, with the mud-and-straw roofs too.
However, stupidly, they had gone and constructed a 'monument' to pay tribute to the archaeologists at the top of the hill.
Gosh, this 'monument' had absolutely no relation to the ruins around it. It was an ugly pyramid. But some tourists asked me to take a picture of them in front of this stupid 'monument'. Argh...
Although it was already past Ash Wednesday, Tilcara still continues its celebrations for Carnaval!