Los Menhires open-air Archaeological Museum

Framed by valleys and ravines that relax the senses, the Menhirs are a classic must-see chosen by those who visit the El Mollar commune, on the Calchaquí Valley circuit. It is a reserve where around 50 stones are erected that measure up to three meters high and are more than 2.000 years old. The word menhir is of Celtic origin and means “long stone”. However, it is more pertinent to use the Quechua word “huanca”, which refers to the indigenous people as protectors and propitiators of crops and livestock. It is said that for the native peoples, they were monuments to the cult of fertility. They were made of metamorphic rock, some of them with inclusions of quartz and granite, materials found throughout the valley. Some of them represent human or animal faces, especially felines, geometric shapes or combinations of them. The Reserve is located in front of the main square of El Mollar, so getting to the site is very easy either by private vehicle or by buses that leave from the San Miguel de Tucumán bus terminal.