On Friday, we had an early start to catch our 6:50 am flight to Salta. Our guide, Pablo, picked us up at the airport in Salta and started to introduce us to the area. We first went to a protected rainforest area. There, we were able to hike around and explore the beautiful scenery.

We then dropped our stuff off at the hotel and started a walking tour of the city. Pablo explained many of the important colonial architectural aspects of city. He also pointed out some places we might want to eat or shop during our stay.

We visited the San Framcisco Catholic Church. The building was colorful and displayed influences of Italian architecture. Inside there were many altars dedicated to various saints and a beautifully decorated rotunda.

We explored the center city square as well. The cabildo building (pictures below) is now a museum. The tower was an addition to the building and part of the building was destroyed to build a statue of Francisco Alvarez de Toledo and an additional town square.

On the main city square, we went to the Museum of Archeology (MAAM). The exhibits were focused on indigenous artifacts that had been discovered in Salta providence. These included pottery, tools, and cloth. There were also remains that were preserved in a mummy-like state of indigenous children. These children were found in the mountains near Salta.

We then had some time to catch up on sleep at the hotel before having dinner.

On Sunday, we took a few hours to explore the San Telmo market. We rode the subway to the neighborhood and had time to wander through the twelve block long street market that ended at the Plaza de Mayo.

The street vendors were set up with tables and tents and most of the shops and cafes along the street were open too. The variety of items to purchase that included: flags, paintings, clothes, antiques, and jewelry. Many of us were impressed with the handcrafted items that were on sale and that the prices were generally reasonable. It was a great place to buy gifts for family and friends or a souvenir for yourself.

If you’re not interested in purchasing any of those items, there were of course empanadas, choripan, and fresh orange juice to buy as well. After we ventured through all twelve blocks and finished at the Plaza de Mayo, we headed back to the hotel to drop off our new things.