Yaví

Yaví is a village of adobe and stone on the bare altiplano near the Bolivian border, once the seat of a colonial marquisate and now home to only a few hundred people, and it holds one of the most remarkable churches in Argentina. San Francisco de Yaví, built in the seventeenth century, has thick whitewashed walls and a plain exterior that give no hint of the interior, where carved and gilded retables and pulpit crowd the altar end in Andean baroque style. Its most unusual feature is the glazing: instead of glass the window openings hold thin sheets of translucent onyx, which filter the fierce highland sun into a warm amber light that falls across the gold. Across the lane stands the former house of the Marqueses de Tojo, the only marquisate ever granted in what is now Argentina.

What you actually see

• The onyx windows - thin sheets of translucent stone filling the window openings.
• The gilded retables - carved and gilded Andean baroque altarpieces and pulpit.
• The marquis house - the colonial residence of the Marqueses de Tojo opposite.
• The altiplano setting - a bare, wind-scoured plateau village near the border.

When to go

April to November for dry roads and clear light; the amber glow through the onyx is strongest in the middle of the day. The church opens on a limited and informal schedule, often shorter than posted, so allow flexibility or ask in La Quiaca before setting out.

Honest expectations

Everything depends on the church being open, and it frequently is not; there is little else in the village and almost no services. The altitude here is above 3,400 metres and the wind is relentless. Photography inside is usually not permitted, so the visit is short.

Nearby

La Quiaca and the Bolivian border are just west; Humahuaca lies far south down the RN9.