Alta Gracia
Alta Gracia's great attraction is the wonderful 17th-century Estancia Jesuítica Alta Gracia , whose church, residential buildings and small lake make a splendid hill-top centre to the town, around the scrappy Plaza Solares. The rather tawdry main commercial area spills down Belgrano, with everything you need, but no charm whatsoever. Head instead to the pretty residential area west of centre El Alto, where the most appealing restaurants are to be found. El Alto was built when the British came here to build the housing which the locals describe as typically 'British': two stories with corrugated tin roofs. The rather grand Hotel Sierras www.hojoar.com, stylishly built in 1907 as Argentina's first casino, was made popular by the rich upper classes who flocked to the area for the summer in the 1920s when Alta Gracia was in its heyday. It has been restored and now is a four-star hotel and casino. There's also an attractive golf course in this area, whose club has one of the town's most recommendable restaurants, open to non-members. All this aristocratic pleasure might sound an unlikely environment for the early years of Ernesto 'Che' Guevara, but his family house can now be visited .
Estancia Jesuítica Alta Gracia and Museo Casa de Virrey Liniers
Part of the same development of Jesuit establishments at Jesús María and Santa Catalina, which were declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2000, Alta Gracia is a fascinating testimony to the Jesuits' culture, and the entire estancia is now an excellent museum. If you visit only one Jesuit estancia in Córdoba, make it this one. There's added interest in the life of Viceroy Liniers, who owned the house from 1810. An excellent guided tour is included in the entry ticket, but ask in advance for an English, French or German speaking guide. There are also informative laminated cards in several languages in each room.
Alta Gracia dates from 1643, when Córdoba was the capital of the Jesuit province of Paraguay, and this estancia - one of their most prosperous rural establishments - was built to fund the religious education of their young men in the Colegio Maximo in Córdoba city. The centre comprised a Residence (now a museum), the Obraje (industrial workshops), the Ranchería (where the slaves lived), the Tajamar (built by the Jesuits as a water reservoir), the water mill and the church, you can attend Mass. This latter was started in 1659 and completed only in 1723. It has a splendid baroque façade and a grand cupola, which is the only part which has been renovated. The rest is all now sadly a little dilapidated, but it's the only Jesuit church which still functions today as the parish church.
The Jesuits built their ambitious project in two stages: first they lived in an adobe building while the main house was constructed of brick. This first building then became the herrería (smithy), where iron was smelted with the aid of bellows, and workers made all the tools they needed for construction. There are impressive locks, keys and nails on display, testimony to their fine metal working skills. Just three Jesuit priests lived in the Residence, which was built on two floors around an enclosed patio; the lower floor was used only for storage. All the workers lived outside the estancia, but 310 African slaves lived on the premises in the Ranchería. They were of great importance to the Jesuits, as they were used as overseers in the ranches, and did carpentry, brickwork, and blacksmithing. In the Obraje, African women and girls learned to spin and knit. The Jesuits built canals to bring water here to the Tajamar, a large reservoir outside the estancia, which supplied them with the power to run a flour mill (molino), which was built in the wall of the reservoir; it's now ruined, but there is a good model upstairs in the Residence. There are also some original clay tiles on display here moulded on the thighs of the slaves.
Part of the Jesuits' evangelizing technique included using music, and their exquisite little organ can be seen here, made in the Guaraní missions further north east. There are some fine paintings and sculptures on display, made by the local population under supervision by the Jesuit priests - beautiful in their simplicity. Even the toilets are impressive, complete with running water to wash the waste away, half of it channelled to be used on the kitchen garden. All the wooden doors and windows are original, and the overall impression is of sophisticated organization and pleasing aesthetics. A couple of rooms are filled with 18th- and 19th-century original furniture from Liniers' family, less interesting, but evocative of the life of a Spanish Viceroy of the Río de la Plata from 1807 to 1809.
Museo Casa de Ernesto 'Che' Guevara
Guevara's parents moved to Alta Gracia when the young revolutionary was four years old, hoping that the dry climate here would help the boy's asthma. For 12 years they lived in this pleasant middle-class neighbourhood, where he grew up, got into scrapes with his friends and learned to play golf. Some details of these early years are related in the utterly disappointing museum inside this old house, which retains not a single relic of Guevara's upbringing. The biographical information is scant, the photographs are all photocopies and there is no intelligent thesis behind the displays.
You will learn that his mother educated him at home in his early years, and that asthma should have prevented him from being too athletic, but he played rugby and golf, was a keen cyclist, and had a wide group of friends, among whom he was known as being fair-minded and kind to the poor. His motorcycle trips around Argentina, in 1951-1952, and 1953-1956 are well-documented in his own book The Motorcycle Diaries, which is recommend reading. There are two videos shown here, a 10 minute extract of a longer documentary, which is almost unintelligible, in Spanish with English subtitles, and a short introductory documentary, with interviews of some friends and teachers from his childhood and the family's former maid. The best photos are in the video room, unfortunately, so you'll have to scoot around them fast between screenings of the videos.
Other sights
If you've time and energy for more museums, you might be interested in Museo Manuel de Falla, the charming home of the famous Spanish composer in the last four years of his life from 1942 to 1946. It's an attractive Spanish-style house with great views from its beautiful garden. There are concerts from April to November, and the Festival de Fallain November attracts some fine musicians.
There's an easy 5-km walk to Los Paredones, with the remains of a Jesuit mill in a rocky section of the river. To get there, follow Avenida Sarmiento to the west and cross the river, passing the bus station on your left. On the way is the Gruta de Lourdes, where, every 11 February, hundreds of pilgrims arrive on foot from Córdoba city. Nearby lies the Laguna Azul, a small lake surrounded by impressive cliffs. From Alta Gracia take Avenida Sarmiento, turn right at Vélez Sarsfield and left at Carlos Pellegrini until the end of the road, where you turn right and follow the road, passing Parque García Lorca on your left.
Some 21 km northwest of Alta Gracia is the Observatorio Bosque Alegre. At 1250 m, it offers good views over Alta Gracia, Córdoba and the Sierra Grande. Visits are guided by astronomers.
Estancia Jesuítica Alta Gracia and Museo Casa de Virrey Liniers
Part of the same development of Jesuit establishments at Jesús María and Santa Catalina, which were declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2000, Alta Gracia is a fascinating testimony to the Jesuits' culture, and the entire estancia is now an excellent museum. If you visit only one Jesuit estancia in Córdoba, make it this one. There's added interest in the life of Viceroy Liniers, who owned the house from 1810. An excellent guided tour is included in the entry ticket, but ask in advance for an English, French or German speaking guide. There are also informative laminated cards in several languages in each room.
Alta Gracia dates from 1643, when Córdoba was the capital of the Jesuit province of Paraguay, and this estancia - one of their most prosperous rural establishments - was built to fund the religious education of their young men in the Colegio Maximo in Córdoba city. The centre comprised a Residence (now a museum), the Obraje (industrial workshops), the Ranchería (where the slaves lived), the Tajamar (built by the Jesuits as a water reservoir), the water mill and the church, you can attend Mass. This latter was started in 1659 and completed only in 1723. It has a splendid baroque façade and a grand cupola, which is the only part which has been renovated. The rest is all now sadly a little dilapidated, but it's the only Jesuit church which still functions today as the parish church.
The Jesuits built their ambitious project in two stages: first they lived in an adobe building while the main house was constructed of brick. This first building then became the herrería (smithy), where iron was smelted with the aid of bellows, and workers made all the tools they needed for construction. There are impressive locks, keys and nails on display, testimony to their fine metal working skills. Just three Jesuit priests lived in the Residence, which was built on two floors around an enclosed patio; the lower floor was used only for storage. All the workers lived outside the estancia, but 310 African slaves lived on the premises in the Ranchería. They were of great importance to the Jesuits, as they were used as overseers in the ranches, and did carpentry, brickwork, and blacksmithing. In the Obraje, African women and girls learned to spin and knit. The Jesuits built canals to bring water here to the Tajamar, a large reservoir outside the estancia, which supplied them with the power to run a flour mill (molino), which was built in the wall of the reservoir; it's now ruined, but there is a good model upstairs in the Residence. There are also some original clay tiles on display here moulded on the thighs of the slaves.
Part of the Jesuits' evangelizing technique included using music, and their exquisite little organ can be seen here, made in the Guaraní missions further north east. There are some fine paintings and sculptures on display, made by the local population under supervision by the Jesuit priests - beautiful in their simplicity. Even the toilets are impressive, complete with running water to wash the waste away, half of it channelled to be used on the kitchen garden. All the wooden doors and windows are original, and the overall impression is of sophisticated organization and pleasing aesthetics. A couple of rooms are filled with 18th- and 19th-century original furniture from Liniers' family, less interesting, but evocative of the life of a Spanish Viceroy of the Río de la Plata from 1807 to 1809.
Museo Casa de Ernesto 'Che' Guevara
Guevara's parents moved to Alta Gracia when the young revolutionary was four years old, hoping that the dry climate here would help the boy's asthma. For 12 years they lived in this pleasant middle-class neighbourhood, where he grew up, got into scrapes with his friends and learned to play golf. Some details of these early years are related in the utterly disappointing museum inside this old house, which retains not a single relic of Guevara's upbringing. The biographical information is scant, the photographs are all photocopies and there is no intelligent thesis behind the displays.
You will learn that his mother educated him at home in his early years, and that asthma should have prevented him from being too athletic, but he played rugby and golf, was a keen cyclist, and had a wide group of friends, among whom he was known as being fair-minded and kind to the poor. His motorcycle trips around Argentina, in 1951-1952, and 1953-1956 are well-documented in his own book The Motorcycle Diaries, which is recommend reading. There are two videos shown here, a 10 minute extract of a longer documentary, which is almost unintelligible, in Spanish with English subtitles, and a short introductory documentary, with interviews of some friends and teachers from his childhood and the family's former maid. The best photos are in the video room, unfortunately, so you'll have to scoot around them fast between screenings of the videos.
Other sights
If you've time and energy for more museums, you might be interested in Museo Manuel de Falla, the charming home of the famous Spanish composer in the last four years of his life from 1942 to 1946. It's an attractive Spanish-style house with great views from its beautiful garden. There are concerts from April to November, and the Festival de Fallain November attracts some fine musicians.
There's an easy 5-km walk to Los Paredones, with the remains of a Jesuit mill in a rocky section of the river. To get there, follow Avenida Sarmiento to the west and cross the river, passing the bus station on your left. On the way is the Gruta de Lourdes, where, every 11 February, hundreds of pilgrims arrive on foot from Córdoba city. Nearby lies the Laguna Azul, a small lake surrounded by impressive cliffs. From Alta Gracia take Avenida Sarmiento, turn right at Vélez Sarsfield and left at Carlos Pellegrini until the end of the road, where you turn right and follow the road, passing Parque García Lorca on your left.
Some 21 km northwest of Alta Gracia is the Observatorio Bosque Alegre. At 1250 m, it offers good views over Alta Gracia, Córdoba and the Sierra Grande. Visits are guided by astronomers.
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This is edited copy from Footprint Handbooks. For comprehensive details (incl address, tel no, directions, opening times and prices) please refer to book or individual chapter PDF
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