Jaap van 't Veen's photos with the keyword: Salta

San Lorenzo (or officially Villa San Lorenzo) is an enchanting green village located in the Lerma Valley at the foor of the mountains of Salta. It’s a tranquil village with a relaxed atmosphere about 10 kilometers away from the colonial city of Salta , which is easily accessible by car or bus. It has a small center; don’t know if it is the same as during our visit, but you can get an impression in PiP1. Many inhabitants of Salta have built their (weekend) houses or mansions in this green enchanting suburb with its unusual subtropical micro climate. San Lorenzo has typical leafy roads lined with impressive trees. See main image and PiP2. The Quebrada de San Lorenzo (PiP3) is located just outside the village. This gorge offers walks through a green landscape with a crystal clear river and lush vegetation in a mountainside Yungas forest (a mix of mountain jungle and Andean forests).

The city of Salta is located in the Lerma Valley - more than 1.150 meters above sea level - at the foothills of the Andes mountains. Salta la Linda (which means "Salta the Beautiful"), is a major tourist destination in northwest Argentina. It features colonial architecture, including the 18th century Cabildo , the 19th century Cathedral and the wonderful Iglesia San Francisco . These buildings and some museums are located around or nearby the Plaza 9 de Julio (main square). Salta is starting point for exploring the scenic northwest part of the country. Salta was founded in 1582 by the Spanish conquistador Hernando de Lerma, who intended the settlement to be an outpost between Lima and Buenos Aires. During the Argentine War of Independence (1810 – 1818) the city became a commercial and military strategic point. Between 1816 and 1821 Salta was led by local military leader General Martín Miguel de Güemes, who defended the city and surrounding area from Spanish forces coming from further north. Salta emerged from the war politically in disarray and financially bankrupt. However, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the arrival of Italian, Spanish and Arab immigrants revived trade and agriculture all over the area, while further enhancing the city's multicultural flavor. Main picture: Salta, seen from Cerro San Bernardo, accessible by cable car or on foot. PiP1: Plaza 9 de Julio PiP2: monument of General Martin Miguel de Güemes

Cabra Corral is the biggest artificial lake in northwestern Argentina. The dam - the largest water construction in the area with a height of 93 meters - was built between 1966 and 1972. The water of the lake is used for power generation and drinking water supply. The dam combines waters from the rivers of the Calchaquí Valley, creating a lake of 115 square km with millions of liters of water. The project was named after the title used on folders of the project by an American company. It became Cabra Corral instead of Corral de Cabras (Goat Yard), as the area was truly called. Located about 75 km south of the city of Salta Cabral Corral has become an important recreational destination with many activities, like swimming, kayaking, fishing and bungee jumping. We stayed in a hotel on the lakeside after a few days of only dust and red rocks and that was refreshing and a completely different world.

The Convento de San Bernardo (Convent of St. Bernard) is a Catholic monastery. The building is one of the oldest in the city and was built in the late 16th or early 17th century. It was initially built as an hermitage for San Bernardo , Salta’s first patron saint. The building must have been destroyed by an earthquake in 1692, since every record from the beginnings of the 18th century has been lost. But the records show that it was in 1726 that a new building was funded to function as a hospital. As years went by, the building was subject to many reforms and it was later designated to other uses until 1846 when it was gifted to the Carmelite sisters. They turned the old hermitage and the hospital into the Convento de San Bernardo , as it stands nowadays. The convent has a wonderful carved entrance door, made by indigenous craftsmen in the year of 1762 from a carob tree. Only Carmelite nuns may enter the convent. Visitors can approach the adobe building and buy made pastries made by the nuns. The complex was declared a National Historical Monument in 1941.

Salinas Grandes is a salt plain with a surface of approximately 220 km2 on the border of the provinces of Jujuy and Salta in northwest Argentina. The salar lies at an elevation of about 3.500 meters above sea level. The origin of Salinas Grandes dates from an extended period of time between 5 and 10 million years ago, when the basin was covered with water with a large amount of salts coming from volcanic activity. The gradual evaporation of such continental saline waters gave rise to this salt having a crust of salt up to 0,5 meters thick. During our visit we saw that salt was still being extracted. Old rusty trucks drove across the plain to bring the extracted salt to a central location. In a kind of settlement with a house of salt blocks, the white and shiny salt was packed in bags by hand under a burning sun !!

The cathedral, located at the central square ( Plaza 9 de Julio ), is one of the most important and remarkable buildings of the city. The current church is the result of a couple of other constructions. The first one was a very simple building with adobe walls and a few windows. Due to its construction the church started to break quickly. A second church - now with two towers and a dome - was built on the same place and survived even an earthquake in 1692. The current church started to be built in 1858 and it took twenty-five years before it was finished. The architectural style of the cathedral is neo-colonial. It has a rectangle floor - with beautiful tiles - and three naves, a presbytery and a semicircular apse in the high altar. The transept is very high, with a dome ceiling. The side aisles have stained glass windows. The (pink coloured) cathedral is dedicated to Jesus and the Virgin Mary. In the year of 1941 it was declared a national monument.

Quebrada de las Flechas (Canyon of the Arrows) is a amazing natural rock formation in the Valles Calchaquíes with eroded cliffs in all kind op tones that rise out of the terrain like gigantic arrowheads. Rock formations with astonishing shapes jut out to 50 meters from the valley floor. These rock formation dates back 15 to 20 million years when large blocks of rock began to rise. These strata were folded and fractured when they received the push of the Andes mountain range. Later erosion sharpened them and now they resemble blades or arrowheads side by side. The famous Ruta Nacional 40 ( www.ipernity.com/doc/294067/49276088 ) is running through this lunar-like landscape between the towns of Cachi and Cafayate, near the village of Angastaco.

When the city of Salta was founded in1582 by the Spanish conquistador Hernando de Lerma, some estates where gifted to the Franciscan monks. The first church on this place dates back to the year of 1625, although its instability made it necessary to built a new building in 1674. After a devastating fire Iglesia San Francisco (St. Francis Church) was rebuilt in 1759. The church became its current exterior and façade in 1872. Five years later the construction of the impressive bell tower started; with a height of 54 meters it is the highest in South America. The belfry houses a bronze bell made from the cannons used in the Argentine War of Independence. Nowadays Iglesia San Francisco - with its vivid colours and white pillars - is one of the most famous landmarks of Salta. A statue of St. Francis of Assisi stands in front of the church. In 1941 the church was declared a National Historical Monument.

The Cabildo de Salta is the oldest (colonial) government building in the city of Salta. It housed headquarters of the authorities from 1626 to 1888. The cabildo was rebuilt in 1676. The construction of the current building began around 1780 and was finished around 1783. Its tower was built several years later. The cabildo housed the police and the seat of the Government House until 1880. Nine years later it was sold at public auction to individuals, being occupied by owners, tenants, business premises and a hotel. Later it was partially demolished. In 1945 it was restored and it is considered being the most complete and best preserved town hall in Argentina. In 1937 the building was declared a National Historical Monument. Nowadays it houses the Museo Histórico den Norte .

Salinas Grandes is a salt flat/lake with a surface of approximately 220 km2 on the border of the provinces of Jujuy and Salta in northwest Argentina. The ‘salar’ lies at an elevation of more than 3.500 metres above sea level. It has a drainage basin extending over 4.600 km2. The origin of Salinas Grandes dates from an extended period of time between 5 and 10 million years ago, when the basin was covered with water with a large amount of salts coming from volcanic activity. The gradual evaporation of such continental saline waters gave rise to this salt having a thick crust.