The Pucara is the reason Tilcara is more than another pretty quebrada village. The hilltop settlement controlled a strategic bend in the valley, and the reconstructed stone walls make the scale of the pre-Hispanic town easy to read. The site museum and high-altitude botanical garden add context, but the best part is the view: cactus, bare rock, and the long north-south line of the Quebrada de Humahuaca.
Pucara de Tilcara
Reconstructed pre-Inca hill fort with cactus gardens and wide quebrada views.