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Salta

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For other uses, see Salta (disambiguation).

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Salta is a city in northwestern Argentina and the capital city of the Salta Province. With a population of 464,678 inhabitants as of the 2001 census [INDEC], it is Argentina's 8th largest city.

Overview

  • View of the city from top of San Bernardo Hill.
    View of the city from top of San Bernardo Hill.
  • The Church of Saint Francis
    The Church of Saint Francis
  • The main cathedral
    The main cathedral
  • Inside the cathedral
    Inside the cathedral
  • Victoria Theatre
    Victoria Theatre
  • Mitre Street
    Mitre Street
  • The Colonial Hotel
    The Colonial Hotel
  • Ninth of July Plaza
    Ninth of July Plaza

It is situated in the Lerma Valley, 1,152 meters above sea level, at the foothills of the Andes mountains.

The weather is warm and dry, with annual averages of 756 mm of rainfall and an average temperature of 16.4 °C (20.4 °C in summer, 10.8 °C in winter). January and February are the months with greatest rainfall. During the spring, Salta is occasionally plagued by severe, week long dust storms.

Nicknamed Salta la Linda ("Salta the Pretty"), it has become a major tourist destination due to its old, colonial architecture and the natural scenery of the valleys westward. Attractions in the city proper include the 18th century Cabildo, the neo-classical style Cathedral, and the July 9th central square. The city's museums exhibit a wide range of artifacts and art work from the native civilations that flourished in the area, as well as from the 16th century Spanish conquest and the colonial and post-colonial periods. Salta is also the starting point of the "Train to the Clouds" (Tren a las nubes), and on the way to red-soiled Cafayate, as well as to other nearby tourist destinations.

The Martín Miguel de Güemes Airport, 6 kilometres southeast of the city, has regular flights to Buenos Aires, Tucumán, Jujuy, Córdoba and Santa Cruz de la Sierra (Bolivia).

History

Salta was founded on April 16 1582 by the Spanish conquistador Hernando de Lerma, who intended the settlement to be an outpost between Lima (Peru) and Buenos Aires.

During the war of independence, the city became a commercial and military strategic point between Peru and the Argentine cities. Between 1816 and 1821, the city was led by local military leader General Martín Miguel de Güemes, who under the command of General José de San Martín, defended the city and surrounding area from Spanish forces coming from further north.


Salta emerged from the War of Independence politically in disarray and financially bankrupt, a condition that lingered throughout much of the 19th century. However, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the arrival of Italian, Spanish and Arab immigrants, particularly Syrians and Lebanese, revived trade and agriculture all over the area while further enhancing the city's multicultural flavor.

Attractions

The city center features a number of impressive buildings dating back to the 18th and 19th and early 20th centuries. Clockwise around the 9th July Square are the neoclassical Cathedral, the French style Museum of Contemporary Art, the Cabildo (in former times, the city's town hall, nowadays a historical museum) and the Museum of High Mountain Archeology, which houses artifacts from the Inca civilization including the magnifically preserved bodies of three Inca children.

Within walking distance of the 9th July Square are the impressive Saint Francis Church and the city's two pedestrian streets: Alberdi and Florida. The three blocks in Balcarce street closest to the train station are now the center of night life in Salta, with restaurants, pubs and cafés on both sidewalks and concerts every night.

Rising imposingly in the east is San Bernardo Hill. Its summit, from which visitors can get an awe-inspiring view of the city and the entire valley, can be reached by car, cable car or stairway.

Sports

Salta residents, just like most Argentinians, are very enthusiastic about football; the most important local clubs are: Juventud Antoniana, Gimnasia y Tiro de Salta and Central Norte. All three of them are followed by many faithful fans. Juventud Antoniana and Central Norte currently play at third division, while Gimnasia y Tiro plays in the fourth division. Other popular sports are baseball (a game in which Salta players excel nationally), basketball, volleyball, rugby and mountaineering.

Culture And Arts

Another particular feature of Salta is the way it has preserved its traditional Hispanic heritage. Folklore activities - cuisine, colonial architecture, music, dancing, and other customs - are widely spread and practised by its people.

One of the main activities in Salta is the April Culture Festival, which lasts the entire month and offers a wide variety of activities, such as culture display performances, handcrafts exposition, and live orchestra performances.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Salta.
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