Iruya is a small town of population 1,070 in northwestern
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
. It is located in the
Salta Province of northwestern Argentina, and is the capital of the
Iruya Department.
Overview
Located in the
altiplano
The Altiplano (Spanish for "high plain"), Collao (Quechua and Aymara: Qullaw, meaning "place of the Qulla") or Andean Plateau, in west-central South America, is the most extensive high plateau on Earth outside Tibet. The plateau is located at the ...
region along the
Iruya River, Iruya sits nestled against the mountainside at an elevation of . It is located over from the province capital of
Salta
Salta () is the capital and largest city in the Argentine province of the same name. With a population of 618,375 according to the 2010 census, it is also the 7th most-populous city in Argentina. The city serves as the cultural and economic ce ...
. There is no direct road connection to the rest of the
Salta province and access is through a road to the adjacent
Jujuy province
Jujuy is a province of Argentina, located in the extreme northwest of the country, at the borders with Chile and Bolivia. The only neighboring Argentine province is Salta to the east and south.
Geography
There are three main areas in Jujuy:
...
, a portion of which is unpaved.
Nonetheless, the town is popular with tourists for its scenic location and townscape and friendly locals.
8 km north of Iruya there is the village of
San Isidro, 7 km north there is the village of
San Juan, 6 km south there is the village of
Pueblo Viejo.
Iruya's name is derived from the
Quechua
Quechua may refer to:
*Quechua people, several indigenous ethnic groups in South America, especially in Peru
*Quechuan languages, a Native South American language family spoken primarily in the Andes, derived from a common ancestral language
**So ...
language, meaning "abundance of straw".
History
Iruya was officially founded in 1753, but the first inhabitants settled here around 100 years earlier. They were mainly aboriginals of which the oldest roots go back to the
Ocloyas, a people belonging to the ethnic group of the
Kolla
Kolla is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Ilmi Kolla (1933–1954), Estonian poet
* Kathy Kolla
Kathy Kolla is an American director, screenwriter, and actress.
Her films include ''Plastic Daydream'' starring Shari Belafon ...
who stem from the
Kollasuyo
Qullasuyu (Quechua and Aymara spelling, ; Hispanicized spellings: ''Collasuyu, Kholla Suyu'') was the southeastern provincial region of the Inca Empire. Qullasuyu is the region of the Qulla and related specifically to the native Qulla Quechuas wh ...
, which used to be one of the four regions of the
Inca
The Inca Empire (also known as the Incan Empire and the Inka Empire), called ''Tawantinsuyu'' by its subjects, (Quechua for the "Realm of the Four Parts", "four parts together" ) was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. The admin ...
empire.
[http://www.iruyaonline.com/iruya-historia.html]
Iruya's church was built in 1690.
[https://www.facebook.com/Flicts/ ]
File:Iruya 195.JPG
File:Arroyo al sur de Río Grande.jpg
File:Panti Pampa por La Banda.jpg, Pantipampa
File:16._Iruya_(22).jpg
File:Río Grande de Iruya.jpg, Río Grande
File:Pueblo Viejo por Ruta Provincial.jpg, Pueblo viejo
File:Road_to_Iruya_in_Salta.jpg
File:Street scene in Iruya, Argentina.jpg, A dog sleeps in the streets of Iruya
File:Iruya, Argentina seen from above.jpg, Iruya seen from above
Climate
See also
*
Chiyayoc
*
La Mesada
References
Populated places in Salta Province
Populated places established in the 17th century
{{Salta-geo-stub