>> Yavi (3,440 meters over the sea level)

It is 16 km. away from La Quiaca, and you arrive by a paved road; it is a real oasis in the dryness of the puna. Today, the town is half depopulated, the houses are made of clay, with typical cane roofs, cane and clay, the appropriate shelter for the freezing nights in the puna. The magnificent Chapel of San Francisco was finished in 1690 and, save for a few little modifications, we can appreciate it today, just as it was in the XVII Century. Its architectural lines are very simple and of great beauty.

The pulpit, the altars, and the altarpieces are gold-plated. It has paintings and outstanding sculptures, such as the ones of San Francisco, San Juan Bautista, San José, Santa Ana and San Joaquín that were brought from Cuzco. And, according to an ancient description, "it has eleven windows, ten of which over two yardsticks high, and one wide, that have, in place of glass, white, four-finger-thick onyx pieces, transparent as crystal, brought with a great effort from over 200 leagues, which make whole Church incredibly clear". Ostentation and good taste joined, thus creating an aesthetic result that can be admired today as it was then. This Chapel can be visited all the year from 2:00 to 9:00 p.m. (Note: in case the Church was closed, and you wanted to visit it, you should contact Mrs. Lidia Cuarta who live across from the Genadarmerie office)

Petroplyphs: 5 km. away from Yaví, at the foot of the Siete Hermanos Hills (Seven Brothers), is Colorada Lagoon. They are rocky formations with petroglyphs representing human figures, llamas, spirals, and o on. This is a completely preserved area.

Pictography: near the Bolivian border, in a place called "El Angosto" (the narrow place), is Yaví Chico, where we find rocky formations with paintings. Near Yaví, not far away from the town, there are also cave paintings that can be seen in the walls of the Hills. There is also a big, colonial-style, house with thick clay walls, and tiles and clay roof, it has an internal patio, around which twelve rooms are distributed. Nowadays, in the different rooms, there are a library, a museum, and a local craft shop. It can be visited Mondays through Fridays from 9:00 to 12:00 and from 2:00 to 5:00 and Saturdays from 9:00 to 12:00.

Ranch House of the Marquis of Yavi y Tojo

The colonial style ranch house, of thick clay walls, and clay and tiles roof, has a stone- paved internal patio. Around the patio there are twelve rooms. Nowadays in those rooms there is a library, a museum, and a local crafts shop. It can be visited Mondays through Fridays from 9 to 12 and from 2 to 5. And Saturdays from 9 to 12.