Loro Huasi: Chapels and Festival Traditions

Religious sites and festival traditions give you a specific reason to plan a trip to Loro Huasi. Capilla de Loro Huasi is dedicated to San Isidro Labrador and has an enlarged atrium. Its patronal festival in honor of the saint takes place every year on May 15.

Chapels and Festival Traditions in Loro Huasi

The enlarged atrium is a distinctive architectural feature of Capilla de Loro Huasi. Together with its dedication to San Isidro Labrador, it shapes the description of this chapel. For travelers who want to plan their time in Loro Huasi around a religious festival, May 15 is a date to mark on the calendar. Check the details of the festival program before your trip.

Another chapel in the area is Capilla Virgen del Valle–El Recreo. For the people who live there, it is a spiritual and community focal point. The two chapels thus represent different aspects of religious life: Capilla de Loro Huasi is dedicated to the patron saint San Isidro Labrador; Capilla Virgen del Valle–El Recreo has spiritual and community significance for local people.

More experiences in the broader destination of Departamento Santa María

In the broader destination of Departamento Santa María, history meets a striking landscape. The pre-Columbian village of Rincón Chico comprises at least 365 structures across an area of about 39.6 hectares. It is located on a spur of the Sierra del Cajón. White quartz veins, pegmatite outcrops in a drainage channel, and dark formations of phyllite and slate shape the landscape there. The number of structures and the approximate area convey two different measures of the site.

Cerro Pintado de Las Mojarras is also in the broader destination of Departamento Santa María. The high-altitude village lies on a 100-meter-high hill beside Ruta Nacional 40. The Inca road probably once passed through there. This historical connection remains a supposition; it is not a current route marker.

Festivals, Markets, and Local Products

In the broader destination of Departamento Santa María, festival dates offer different ways to plan your timing. Santa María celebrates Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria, the city’s patron saint, every year on February 2; the city’s founding is also celebrated on the same day. El Cerrito hosts the Festival del Cabrito every year during Holy Week. The Fiesta Nacional Santa María la Reina del Yokavil was conceived in 1967 and began in the summer of 1968.

Various markets run by entrepreneurs are held at Plaza Gral. Manuel Belgrano on Fridays. The Feria Arcoiris also takes place there on Saturdays, where local artisans and producers offer their products. As these dates may be part of your travel plans, check the schedule locally before departure.

Cuisine and the processing of regional products also shape the broader destination of Departamento Santa María. The Ruta de la Capia showcases an alfajor from Santa María, made with capia corn and homemade dulce de leche. The Fiesta de la Capia takes place in Santa María in winter. The Dulces y Licores experience involves visits and tastings of sweets and liqueurs made in Santa María from fruit grown in the valley. For visits and tastings, ask the respective providers for current dates.

The Nuestras Especias experience shows where spices from the Calchaquí Valley are ground, including cumin, oregano, rosemary, and sweet paprika. Vinos de Altura includes visits to wineries that produce high-quality wines at high elevations. Both experiences offer a glimpse of different products and processes: spice grinding in one case, and high-altitude winemaking in the other. It is also worth asking about the specific arrangements for these visits in advance.

Culture, Crafts, and Nature

At the Museo Arte Sacro Ntra Sra Candelaria in Santa María, Christian sacred art and tangible and intangible cultural heritage sit alongside the heritage of pre-Columbian cultures. Those interested in craft processes can also explore the Cestería en Simbol and Textiles del Valle experiences in the broader destination of Departamento Santa María. Cestería en Simbol showcases the making of unique woven goods from Simbol. Textiles del Valle traces the process from turning different types of wool into fibers and yarn to making woven garments. The comparison reveals two different processes: woven goods are made from Simbol, while textiles involve both fiber processing and weaving.

Trekking is one way to reach particularly interesting places in Santa María. Astronomy is another area of interest: the Quilla Punco school complex includes a section with information about all the constellations, an observatory with a high-resolution telescope, a planetarium, and an interpretation center. There, students from School No. 220 and nearby communities observe constellations and planets.

Discover more destinations: Santa María, El Volcán.

Return to the broader travel overview: Departamento Santa María.