Villa Tulumba

Villa Tulumba lies on the Camino Real, the colonial road that ran north from Córdoba toward Upper Peru, and it has changed remarkably little since: adobe houses with deep verandas, an unpaved plaza, and a rhythm that belongs to another century. Its parish church holds the village's treasure, a carved and gilded wooden tabernacle in Andean baroque style, brought from the Jesuit church in Córdoba after the order's expulsion and considered one of the finest pieces of colonial woodwork in the province. Around the village the country is dry scrub and low hills, with old estancias and chapels scattered along the historic route. Very few travellers make the detour, which is precisely why the village feels the way it does.

What you actually see

• The gilded tabernacle - the Andean baroque carving in the parish church.
• The colonial village - adobe houses and verandas around an unpaved plaza.
• The Camino Real - the old royal road and its chapels and estancias.
• The dry hill country - scrub and low sierras surrounding the village.

When to go

Year-round; autumn and spring are most comfortable, summer is hot with storms that can affect the unpaved approach. The church is often locked, so ask at the plaza for the keyholder before assuming a wasted trip.

Honest expectations

There is almost nothing here beyond the church and the atmosphere, and services are minimal. The access road is partly unpaved. If the church is closed, the visit amounts to a walk around a quiet square.

Nearby

Cerro Colorado lies northeast; Jesús María and Colonia Caroya are south on the RN9.