A long flight of stone steps climbs from the plaza to a hilltop platform crowned by a monumental bronze. The figure is an Aymara warrior holding a sword, and the inscription honours the indigenous people who fought in the wars of independence in this remote corner of the country.
The climb is steep — at 3,000 metres altitude it leaves most visitors winded — but the view from the top is the best in town: ochre and pink hills, the grid of low adobe houses, and the Rio Grande snaking south toward Tilcara. Go in the late afternoon when the rock turns red.