The Northern provinces exhibit mixed pre-Columbus vestiges, ruins of fortresses and Indian villages, as well as constructions from the age of the conquer and colonization. It is a region full of contrasts, where the visitor goes deep in the historical roots of the Latin-American civilization and culture. Its geography is made of the Calchaquies Valleys, the “Altiplano de la Puna” (High Plains of the Puna*) and the “Quebrada of Humauaca”#, which has been declared as Patrimony of Humanity. This variety of landscapes amazes everyone the same way. Surrounded by hills, some of them multicoloured, with their slopes covered with a great quantity of imposing cactus. It is just in these lands where the population still keeps the practices and customs of its ancestors, staying among other popular events, which contribute with the veneration of the Mother Earth and the celebration of the carnival.

* Puna refers to elevated plateau regions in the Andes, with cold desert climate.
# Quebrada refers to Canyon or ravine.