Iruya is a small town of population 1,070 in northwestern
Argentina
Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...
. It is located in the
Salta Province
Salta () is a Provinces of Argentina, province of Argentina, located in the northwest of the country. Neighboring provinces are from the east clockwise Formosa Province, Formosa, Chaco Province, Chaco, Santiago del Estero Province, Santiago del Es ...
of northwestern Argentina, and is the capital of the
Iruya Department.
Overview
Located in the
altiplano
The Altiplano (Spanish language, Spanish for "high plain"), Collao (Quechuan languages, Quechua and Aymara language, Aymara: Qullaw, meaning "place of the Qulla people, Qulla") or Andean Plateau, in west-central South America, is the most extens ...
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 Provinces of Argentina, Argentine province of Salta Province, the same name. With a population of 618,375 according to the 2010 census, it is also the List of cities in Argentina, 7th most-populous ...
. There is no direct road connection to the rest of the
Salta province
Salta () is a Provinces of Argentina, province of Argentina, located in the northwest of the country. Neighboring provinces are from the east clockwise Formosa Province, Formosa, Chaco Province, Chaco, Santiago del Estero Province, Santiago del Es ...
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 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 who stem from the
Kollasuyo, which used to be one of the four regions of the
Inca
The Inca Empire, officially known as the Realm of the Four Parts (, ), was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. The administrative, political, and military center of the empire was in the city of Cusco. The History of the Incas, Inca ...
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