"A pre-Inca fortified settlement on a hilltop where the Quebrada de Humahuaca has been a human pathway for ten thousand years"
Pucara de Tilcara
Tilcara, Jujuy, Argentina
On a hill above the confluence of two rivers in Jujuy Province, the Pucará de Tilcara held over 2,000 people. Built by ancestors of the Omaguaca in the twelfth century, later absorbed into the Inca Empire, the site contains ceremonial areas and burials alongside its defensive walls. It sits within the Quebrada de Humahuaca, a UNESCO World Heritage cultural landscape.
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Quick Facts
Location
Tilcara, Jujuy, Argentina
Coordinates
-23.5864, -65.4026
Last Updated
Mar 9, 2026
Learn More
Twelfth-century Omaguaca settlement, later Inca, excavated from 1908, now part of a UNESCO cultural landscape.
Origin Story
The Omaguaca ancestors chose this hill for its strategic position at the junction of two rivers. The settlement grew to house over 2,000 people across fifteen acres, with ceremonial and burial areas integrated into the residential fabric.
Key Figures
Juan Bautista Ambrosetti
Led first archaeological excavations
Eduardo Casanova
Continued excavations and established museum
Spiritual Lineage
From Omaguaca settlement through Inca incorporation to Spanish colonial contact to archaeological recovery.
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