The Pucará de Tilcara

The Pucará de Tilcara is a pre-Inca fortress or pukara located on a hill just outside the small town of Tilcara in the Argentine state of Jujuy (about a 15-minute walk). The location was chosen to be easily defendable and to afford good views over the Quebrada de Humahuaca for a lengthy stretch.

In the year 2000, the Pucará de Tilcara was designated as a National Monument. It is the only publicly accessible archaeological site in the Quebrada de Humahuaca and has been largely reconstructed.

Human settlement in the area can be traced back over 10,000 years. The Omaguaca tribe, who first lived in the area about the 12th century, built the walled settlement. They were renowned warriors and experts in agriculture, weaving, and pottery. The pucará was a major administrative and military center during their reign.

The pucará encompassed around 15 acres at its peak and contained over 2,000 people who lived in small square stone structures with low doors and no windows. Aside from dwelling quarters, the pucará included animal corrals, religious ceremony areas, and burial grounds.

The Quebrada tribes were finally subdued by the Incas in the late 15th century, led by Tupac Inca Yupanqui, who used the pucará as a military stronghold and to ensure the supply of metals such as silver, zinc, and copper mine nearby. The Incan occupation of the area lasted just approximately half a century, ending with the entrance of the Spanish in 1536, who constructed Tilcara in 1586.

Location: Tilcara, Jujuy, Argentina