Alta Gracia is a city located in the north-centre of the

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman '' provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

of Córdoba, Argentina. Its name means "High Grace". It is built upon the ''Sierras Chicas'', in a region that the Comechingón Indians used to call ''Paravachasca''. It has about 43,000 inhabitants ().

History

In the 17th century, Alta Gracia was a large

ranch A ranch (from es, rancho/Mexican Spanish) is an area of land, including various structures, given primarily to ranching, the practice of raising grazing livestock such as cattle and sheep. It is a subtype of a farm. These terms are most ofte ...

(an ''estancia'') operated by

Jesuits , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders = ...

. It had been first owned in 1588 by Don Juan Nieto who began the colonization of the area. Under the terms of his '' encomienda'', Nieto began promoting the building of houses, ranches and stone pens. The Jesuits used Alta Gracia, along with other ranches, including Colonia Caroya, Jesús María, Santa Catalina, La Candelaria, and San Ignacio de los Ejercicios, to support the ''Collegium Maximum'' or " Colegio Máximo", one of Argentina's first universities (''Universitas Cortuba Tucumanæ'') today: Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Together with other educational institutes, it is now part of the ''Manzana Jesuítica'' ("Jesuit Block"), an important center in Córdoba City. The Jesuit Block and Estancias of Córdoba were named as a

UNESCO World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...

in 2000. Owners of the ''Estancia'' Alta Gracia: * Don Juan Nieto, 1588 * Alonso Nieto de Herrera, who named it after "Nuestra Señora de Alta Gracia" * The Society of Jesus (donated to them by Alonso Nieto) *

Santiago de Liniers Santiago Antonio María de Liniers y Bremond, 1st Count of Buenos Aires, KOM, OM (July 25, 1753 – August 26, 1810) was a French officer in the Spanish military service, and a viceroy of the Spanish colonies of the Viceroyalty of the River ...

, 1810, who lived there for about 5 months * José Manuel Solares, 1868 (last owner; in his will he converted the estancia to a village, to be called ''La Merced''. He divided the land into plots to give to his employees. The condition was that they would keep the Tajamar and continue with veneration of the Virgin, known as ''Nuestra Señora de la Merced'' - "Our Lady of Merced".) September 24 is a feast day in Alta Gracia, in honour of the Virgin.

Main sights

Sights include: Alta Gracia clock tower

* The museum of Santiago de Liniers. * "El Tajamar", a man-made lake. * "El Obraje", a workshop were the Jesuits taught many Indians the different crafts. * The Sierras Hotel, which

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination ...

has visited. * A house where revolutionary

Che Guevara Ernesto Che Guevara (; 14 June 1928The date of birth recorded on /upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/78/Ernesto_Guevara_Acta_de_Nacimiento.jpg his birth certificatewas 14 June 1928, although one tertiary source, (Julia Constenla, quot ...

used to live, now a museum. * Manuel de Falla's Museum. * Gabriel Dubois Art Museum. * Railroad outdoor museum. * Lourdes Virgin's Sanctuary: a replica of the original in the

Pyrenees The Pyrenees (; es, Pirineos ; french: Pyrénées ; ca, Pirineu ; eu, Pirinioak ; oc, Pirenèus ; an, Pirineus) is a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. It extends nearly from its union with the Cantabrian Mountains to ...

(France). * Public Clock Tower: 350th Anniversary of Alta Gracia Monument, now an information office.

People

Manuel de Falla Manuel de Falla y Matheu (, 23 November 187614 November 1946) was an Andalusian Spanish composer and pianist. Along with Isaac Albéniz, Francisco Tárrega, and Enrique Granados, he was one of Spain's most important musicians of the first ...

, Spanish musician and composer, lived in Alta Gracia from 1942 until his death. *

Ernesto "Che" Guevara Ernesto Che Guevara (; 14 June 1928The date of birth recorded on /upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/78/Ernesto_Guevara_Acta_de_Nacimiento.jpg his birth certificatewas 14 June 1928, although one tertiary source, (Julia Constenla, quoted ...

, spent 12 years in Alta Gracia, from 1932 till 1944, when he moved to Buenos Aires to be a doctor. There is a museum in the place where he lived. *Enrique Larreta, writer. *Belisario Roldán, writer.

Sources

Official website
*

References

{{Authority control Populated places in Córdoba Province, Argentina World Heritage Sites in Argentina Tourism in Argentina Cities in Argentina Populated places established in 1588