April 2025: Easter in Salta and Jujuy April 2025

 An 11 hour over night bus journey from Cordoba and I arrived in the town of Salta. It's in the far north West of Argentina, near to the Chilian border.
It was Easter weekend and I was really hoping to take part in the Easter services. I had booked into what turned out to be a lovely Hostel, very colonial style with tall, tall rooms and doors. Thinking about it after being in Mexico, the tall ceilings and doors let the heat rise and escape rather than out low ceiling houses which contain the heat. 
I took a tour of the local Franciscan Church and its museum, it als had a lovely little courtyard restaurant called Francis's Patio.
I had been to the palm Sunday service in Cordoba with Ruben the weekend before, in a very modern church and this was very different - dark and old and traditional in style, with gold decoration and old, old paintings. 
The Maundy (Holy) Thursday service was  hot and packed but I managed to squeeze in. The music group leading the service were amazing and so evocative of the occasion. Spanish music can be soulful, sad and rejoicing all at the same time. There were three young men leading the music on guitar, mandolin and small er mandolin - maybe a ukulele. It was a bit like the gypsy  kings on slow -  that kind of close harmony soulfulness.
 I translated one of the songs they used for adoration after MAs and it was so beautiful in their plaintive tune. They carried it on a worship style, repeating different refrains over and over. It was really moving and a great start to the Easter Tridium.
Good Friday i was on a trip to  Salinas Grandes (the salt flats) and  the lovely little traditional town of Purmamarca  and didn't think i would make the service unless it was really late. But wandering the town in the afternoon i cam across the little church and popped in, the parishioners were just finishing venerating the cross so i swiftly joined the back of the que and was able to do this small part of the Good Friday remembrance, before having to jump on the minibus for the next destination. 
The next day I took a bus to Jujuy, just 2 hrs further north but closer to Bolivia. I found another Franciscan church for the Saturday vigil service and was so pleased to be part of a parish for this special time - we were even give a little egg as we left after Mass. 

The museum of the Franciscan Church in Salta



inside the church from the choir loft

lovely native statue of Mary and Jesus

the church stands on the corner and has the highest spire - taller than the cathedral. 
There is a lovely exhibition of the early Franciscans work with native people and tools that provided to help mechanise rope and food production in the villages. 



Joyuy












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