A day in Salta

I’ve been in Salta for a day and a half, and I love it so far. It’s got a lot of amazing colonial buildings, lots of people everywhere, shops and restaurants that are open during the day. And some of the museums are open too!

I went to 3 different museums today. One was boring – it was about the fight for independence of the region, but it was mostly names and places and dates and maps of troop distribution. I already forgot all of it. I was more interested in the building itself, but it was a bit disappointing on the inside.
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The History Museum of the North was great. It covered history from the early Incan people, the colonial era, right up until more recent history. There were a lot of great things on display from Incan pottery and the first coins used in the region, to chandeliers and horse carriages and a 1911 Renault. And the building itself is impressive; originally built in the 1700’s and nicely restored. I have lots of photos.

History Museum of the North



But the most interesting museum was the MAAM – The Museum of High Altitude Archeology. Sounds neat, right? I thought so. And from the line outside, I assumed it was worth the $3 entrance fee. I had to reserve online, but only had to wait an hour for an available slot. And I had NO IDEA what the museum was about until about 5 minutes into the intro video at the entrance. I might have uttered a curse out loud at that point.

I’ll summarize, loosely. I’ll provide links if you want more accurate information.

The museum is dedicated to an ancient Incan ceremony called La Capacocha. Archeologists and climbers have discovered artifacts on some of the highest mountains in the Andes, including Aconcagua. As the story goes, Incans would hold these ceremonies from time to time where the best children were chosen to carry trinkets up a mountain as offerings to the gods. They were accompanied by a group of adults. And at the top, they got the kid drunk and then let them succumb to the cold and lack of oxygen. And then they left them there where the cold and lack of oxygen preserved their bodies such that we have some of them today – in excellent condition.

I read that the Incans didn’t think the children were dying in the ceremony – they believed they were ascending into the afterlife. And let’s face it, far worse things have been done in the name of religion, even more recently. But, apparently there are other forms of La Capacocha that sound a little more violent.
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Two of the bodies were on display in the museum – a girl aged 5 and a boy aged 7. They are kept frozen in a nitrogen rich environment. And for the most part, in the dark. And there are also a lot of trinkets on display, also in excellent condition and kept in climate-controlled cases. I wasn’t allowed to take any photos of any of the artifacts or the children, I was only allowed to take photos of photos. So here’s one:

Monitoring and Sampling of the Maiden
​Museum of High Altitude Archeology

​Some links, if you’re interested, with more information and good photos: Wikipedia, Introduction Video, YouTube Channel, Website
​I’ve also spent some time in a couple of the plazas around town, watching dancers and people and jugglers. And I found a church that was very shiny on the inside. I’m going to stay a few more days because I really love having internet and food and peace and quiet. And I haven’t been bitten by any dogs. I’d really love to do some trekking, but I’m still trying to figure out if it’s feasible without a car…
They look like they're having so much fun!