- Type
- Fortress
- Origins
- 1100 · 11th century per Wikidata: founding, first mention or construction
- Location
- Jujuy, Argentina
- Coordinates
- -23.5886°, -65.4028°
History
From around the 12th century the fortified hilltop settlement above the Río Grande was home to the Tilcara, one of the Omaguaca groups. Hundreds of stone houses, corrals, plazas and shrines covered the slopes, and the site controlled the route through the gorge. In the second half of the 15th century the Inca brought the region under their rule, and the settlement stayed inhabited until the Spanish conquest. From 1908 it was studied by archaeologists from the University of Buenos Aires, Juan Bautista Ambrosetti and Salvador Debenedetti. In the mid-20th century Eduardo Casanova reconstructed part of it, and in 2003 the site was inscribed by UNESCO together with the whole gorge.
What to see
Paths wind between reconstructed fieldstone houses roofed with clay and cactus wood up to the summit, where a building known as the Church is thought to have served ceremonial purposes. The top offers views of the multicoloured slopes of the Quebrada de Humahuaca. By the entrance is a botanical garden of high-altitude plants with towering cardón cacti, and in the town of Tilcara an archaeological museum displays finds from the pucará.
Wikipedia article Wikidata Q2062241
Popularity: articles about this site in 15 Wikimedia projects (Wikipedia language editions and others).