San Miguel de Tucumán

San Miguel de Tucumán is the largest city of northern Argentina, a hot, loud, energetic place of sugar mills, universities and street food rather than a preserved colonial showpiece. Its centrepiece is the Casa Histórica de la Independencia, a low whitewashed house on a narrow street whose single surviving colonial room is where delegates gathered in July 1816 to declare the country's independence, now a museum with the original panelled hall at its heart. Around it the city spreads from Plaza Independencia, shaded by orange trees and faced by the cathedral and the ornate Casa de Gobierno. The food here is a serious matter: Tucumán claims the country's best empanadas, baked small and juicy, and the city's sandwich shops and juice bars run late into the night.

History

Diego de Villarroel founded San Miguel de Tucumán y Nueva Tierra de Promisión on 31 May 1565 at Ibatín, 60 kilometres south-west of today's city, and in 1685 it moved to La Toma, the present old town, because Ibatín's water was poor. On 24 September 1812 Manuel Belgrano, ordered to fall back to Córdoba but kept here by the townspeople's call, defeated the Spanish army from Upper Peru at the Battle of Tucumán with his tired troops and local gauchos, and went on to win again at Salta, afterwards building a circular fortress, La Ciudadela, a kilometre from the main square. Its barracks and its place between the Río de la Plata and Upper Peru made the city the seat of the Congress that declared independence in July 1816 (Wikipedia, San Miguel de Tucumán).

What's there

• Casa Histórica de la Independencia - the colonial house and hall where independence was declared.
• Plaza Independencia - the orange-tree square with cathedral and government house.
• The empanada shops - the city's celebrated small baked empanadas.
• Parque 9 de Julio - the huge central park laid out by a French landscape designer.

When to go

April to November is drier and far more bearable; summers are humid and hot with heavy storms. The independence commemorations in July fill the centre. The city works best as a base for the valleys rather than a long stay.

What to expect

Tucumán is a working city with heavy traffic, noise and few architectural highlights, and travellers expecting a colonial gem are usually disappointed. The historic house is small and can be seen in half an hour. Summer heat and humidity are genuinely draining.

Nearby

Tafí del Valle and the highland valleys lie west; San Javier and Villa Nougués rise just above the city.

Key facts