Chilecito
A historic mining town at the foot of Mount Famatina, with the century-old La Mejicana mine cableway, four-wheel-drive trips to the 4,600 m mine area and memorable Torrontés wine.
Chilecito is the second-largest city in La Rioja Province, Argentina. It lies at an elevation of about 1,100 m in the Famatina Valley, between the Sierra de Famatina and the Sierra de Velasco. In the early 20th century the area boomed on gold, silver and copper mining. A 35 km high-mountain cableway built by a German company carried ore from the La Mejicana mine area at 4,600 m down to town. Today the Station 1 museum and the four-wheel-drive day trip up to the mining area are the biggest attractions. In town you can visit the San Francisco Mill Museum, the Samay Huasi estate and the colonial-era Santa Clara chapel, and at dusk you can climb to the Portezuelo Christ statue to watch the sunset. The valley produces Torrontés white wine and walnuts.
The climate is dry. In summer (December–February) days often exceed 35°C, with thunderstorms. In winter the mining area is snow-bound and roads close. September–November and March–May are the most suitable, and mining-area tours generally run from October to April.
Getting there: take a bus from La Rioja city for about 3 hours, or a night bus from Córdoba or Buenos Aires. By car, drive south on National Route 40 through Miranda Pass to reach Villa Unión and Talampaya National Park. Plan 2–3 days, and watch for altitude sickness when going up to the mining area.
Top sights
- Cablecarril Chilecito–La Mejicana Museum (Station 1) – The starting station of a high-altitude mining cableway built in 1904, running about 35 km from 1,075 metres above sea level up to mines at…
- La Mejicana Mine – A four-wheel-drive trip up old mining tracks to an abandoned gold mine at about 4,600 metres, where colourful mountainsides and the cablewa…
- Sierra de Famatina (Cerro General Belgrano) – The Famatina range rises to a main peak of about 6,097 metres, and its snowy ridges can be seen from the town of Chilecito.
- Samay Huasi Museum – The foothill villa of writer and statesman Joaquín V. González, with a courtyard under grapevines and a quiet, elegant collection.
- Bodega La Riojana – One of Argentina's largest wine cooperatives, known for its Torrontés white wine and Fair Trade wines.
- Museo Molino de San Francisco – A local museum in an 18th-century colonial water mill, with archaeological, mining and folk collections.
- Cristo del Portezuelo – A white statue of Christ on a small hill east of town, with views over all of Chilecito and the distant Famatina snow peaks.
- Chapel of Santa Clara de Asís, Los Sarmientos – A small adobe colonial chapel built in 1764, a national historic monument and one of the oldest buildings in Chilecito.
- Tamberías del Inca – The ruins of an Inca administrative centre north of town, where surviving stone walls outline houses, plazas and ceremonial areas.
- Chirau Mita Botanical Garden – A privately owned cactus and succulent garden built into the hillside, with hundreds of South American drought-tolerant plants in terraced…
- Famatina – A walnut town about 30 km north of Chilecito and a starting point for four-wheel-drive routes to the Upper La Mejicana mining area.
- Santa Florentina – The ruins of an old smelter in a valley about 8 km northwest of town, with the steel tower of cableway station No. 2. The quiet valley is i…
Where to eat
- El Rancho de Ferrito – Chilecito's most classic old-school eatery, run from the same corner for over forty years and famous for its fried empa…
- Georges Lebanese Eatery – A highly rated budget Lebanese eatery downtown, known for its shawarma, falafel and hummus.
- Borussia Bar – A bar-restaurant across from the main square, open from breakfast to late, serving handmade ravioli, grilled meats and…