La Ciudacita Ruins

The ruins are made of structures built as a staircase on the edge, starting in a rectangular ceremonial field, of 40 meters wide by 60 meter long, called in Inca language “Kalasasaya”.

The work is impressing for the size of the surface and its quality, which was made using grey colored slabs. The stone walls are one meter high and the deterioration caused by time and the action of guanacos and other mammals is evident. To the East, through a road built with slabs, there is an access to another set of structures, and then the road keeps on ascending to the West, to find the Portezuelo de los Campos Colorados that is located at the same height as the ruins. After passing it, the road descends towards Ampajango.

It is evident that men from the Inca period built the village to establish relations with men down the hill, particularly on that place, for it allows an open sight of the area where the sun rises. These Ruins, due to their architectural technique, are directly related with the Ruins of the old Fortress of the Campo Pucará, in Las Estancias valley. These villages were abandoned around the middle of XVII century, when the second Calchaquí war ended. The Spanish conquerors organized horse rides to eradicate the indigenous population and send it to the lower parts of Tucumán, where they were forced to make agricultural work. Studies show that the ruins represent the southern end of the Inca Empire.