Molinos village - Pre-Columbian winemaking territory

In the sleepy colonial village of Molinos, taste wines at small family bodegas while exploring the gateway to Colomé. The village church contains the mummified remains of the last Spanish governor, adding historical intrigue to this high-altitude wine pilgrimage.

What to do there

5 things to do

1. 1 Stand Before the Man Who Lost Argentina History · Free

   Inside the adobe church of San Pedro Nolasco, Nicolás Severo de Isasmendi has been lying in his sarcophagus for nearly 200 years — the last governor of Salta appointed by the King of Spain. He built this church to guarantee his burial here. Argentina declared independence in 1816. He died in 1837, still on the losing side.

   Where: Iglesia San Pedro Nolasco de los Molinos, Abraham Cornejo s/n, Molinos village center. The church is on the main plaza, directly opposite the Hacienda de Molinos hotel — you can't miss it.

   What: The last Spanish colonial governor of Salta (Nicolás Severo de Isasmendi, 1753–1837) had himself embalmed and placed in a glass-topped sarcophagus inside the church he paid to have built. He's still there. His mummified face is visible inside a marble-topped case near the altar. The cactus-wood ceiling above you is original 17th-century construction — the same ceiling his workers built 250 years ago. The church is a National Historical Monument and the twin bell towers are visible from anywhere in the village.

   How: Open Tue–Sun 8:30am–8:30pm, closed Monday. Free to enter. Go in, let your eyes adjust to the cool dark, and walk to the right of the altar. The sarcophagus is there. Stand with it for a moment — this man's family founded the oldest winery in Argentina (Bodega Colomé, 25km up the road) and he saw the empire he served collapse around him while he lived here.

   Backup: If the church is locked (this sometimes happens at midday despite posted hours), the Hacienda de Molinos hotel reception across the plaza can sometimes help arrange access. The exterior twin-tower facade and the adjacent hacienda courtyard are always accessible.

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2. 2 Find the Valley the Spanish Couldn't Conquer for 107 Years Adventure · Free

   The rust-red cliffs above Molinos are not just scenery — they are the reason the Diaguita Confederation held off the entire Spanish Empire for more than a century. The Calchaquí Wars lasted 1560–1667, and this canyon terrain was the weapon. The Quilme people — 11,000 of them — were finally marched 1,500km to Buenos Aires in 1665 as punishment for resisting.

   Where: El Churcal ruins, approximately 8km northeast of Molinos on a hillside terrace above the right bank of the Calchaquí River. From the village plaza, follow Ruta Provincial 53 north and look for the site signs. No paved access — a 4WD vehicle or a 90-minute walk from town is needed.

   What: El Churcal is a pre-Columbian settlement of approximately 530 stone-walled compounds, occupied 1100–1300 AD by the Chicoana Diaguita people. Archaeological excavations found 20 adult cist burials and 33 child burials beneath the floor mounds. These are the ancestors of the warriors who made the Spanish spend 107 years building a ring of fortified cities around this single valley — Santiago del Estero (1553), Tucumán (1565), Salta (1582), La Rioja (1591), Jujuy (1593) — and still couldn't get in. From this hillside terrace you see why: the canyon channelled every attack.

   How: Free access, no guide required, no entrance fee. Best in morning light — the low sun makes the stone compounds readable from the top of the terrace. Bring water; there is none on site. The views down the valley toward Molinos are among the finest in the region.

   Backup: If the road is impassable after rain, the road north toward Cachi on Route 40 passes the approximate site area and offers comparable canyon views of the same landscape. The view itself tells the story: stand at the valley floor and look up at the surrounding cliffs — this valley was a natural fortress.

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3. 3 Taste the Wine the Governor's Daughter Planted in 1854 Wine · Price: moderate

   Bodega Colomé was founded in 1831 by the Isasmendi family — the same family whose patriarch is mummified in the church in town. In 1854, the governor's daughter Ascensión brought the first French Malbec vines to Argentina. Those exact vines — ungrafted, pre-phylloxera, 170 years old — still grow here. The pest that destroyed 90% of Europe's vineyards in the 1880s never reached this altitude.

   Where: Bodega Colomé, Ruta Provincial 53, Km 20, Molinos 4419, Salta. 25km southwest of Molinos village — about 30 minutes by car up a dirt track through increasingly dramatic canyon scenery.

   What: This is the oldest winery in Argentina (founded 1831) and home to some of the world's oldest ungrafted Malbec vines. Ask for the Estate Malbec specifically and request to know which block of vines it comes from — the 1854-planted blocks produce dramatically different fruit than the newer plantings. When you taste it, point through the winery wall at the canyon and tell them you just came from the church in Molinos where the Isasmendi governor is lying in his sarcophagus. They know the connection. The tasting also includes Torrontés — this is the grape that smells like a sweet German Riesling but is completely dry. The tour includes the James Turrell Museum (see Step 4).

   How: Book in advance — email reservas@bodegacolome.com or call +54 (3868) 49-4200. Tours run Tue–Sun at 11:30am (English and Spanish) and 3pm (Spanish only). $35 USD per person for standard tasting; $75 USD for premium tasting with food pairings. Tours approximately 90 minutes including winery, vineyards, and museum.

   Backup: If fully booked, their sister property Estancia Colomé offers accommodation from $395/night double occupancy which includes a private tasting, dinner, and museum access — worth considering if you plan to stay overnight.

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4. 4 Lie Down in the Largest Skyspace on Earth and Watch the Light Change Adventure · Price: moderate

   Inside the Colomé winery complex, in a separate building Donald Hess built in 2009, is the only museum in the world dedicated entirely to James Turrell — the Californian artist who works with nothing but light. The centerpiece is Unseen Blue: the largest skyspace Turrell has ever built. You lie on a bench, you look up through an aperture in the ceiling at the open sky, and for 40 minutes the light performs.

   Where: James Turrell Museum, Hess Art Collection at Colomé — within the Bodega Colomé compound, Ruta Provincial 53, Km 20, Molinos. Entrance is included in your winery tour ticket.

   What: Nine light installations spanning five decades of Turrell's career, across 18,084 square feet of specially built gallery space. The centerpiece, Unseen Blue, is a Roman-style atrium with a ceiling aperture open to the Andean sky. Visitors lie on benches or the floor and watch a 40-minute programmed light sequence that makes the sky look like a solid glowing surface. At 2,300m altitude, the sky is a different blue than anywhere you've seen before — darker, more intense. Turrell chose this site specifically for the light quality.

   How: Included in the winery tour ticket ($35/person standard, $75/person premium). The museum alone can be visited by appointment — contact reservas@bodegacolome.com. Book the 11:30am tour if possible; the afternoon Andean light in the skyspace is extraordinary. Wear layers — the gallery temperature contrasts sharply with the outdoor heat.

   Backup: All nine installations reward time — if the skyspace is being reset between groups (a 15-minute gap), ask your guide about the tunnel installations, which use artificial light to similar perceptual effect.

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5. 5 Order Locro in the Governor's House History · Price: low

   The Hacienda de Molinos is where the Isasmendi family actually lived — the same family whose patriarch you saw mummified in the church across the plaza. The restaurant bakes its empanadas in the same type of adobe mud oven that Isasmendi's cooks used 300 years ago. The locro stew on the menu is a pre-Columbian Andean dish; the word comes from the Quechua 'ruqru,' and the Diaguita were eating it in this valley long before the Spanish arrived.

   Where: Restaurant at Hacienda de Molinos, Abraham Cornejo s/n, Molinos. Directly on the main plaza, opposite the church.

   What: Order the locro (a thick corn, squash, bean, and chorizo stew seasoned with local paprika and cumin — pre-Columbian, 2,000+ years old in this valley) and the empanadas salteñas. The empanadas here are sealed across the top, not the side — the repulgue runs across the crown, which keeps the filling juicier. The paprika in the filling is grown in the Calchaquí valleys, at altitude; it's a different, more vivid spice than lowland paprika. Pair the meal with a glass of Colomé Torrontés or a local Malbec from the wine list — the restaurant stocks the best labels from the valley.

   How: Open for lunch and dinner daily. Reservation recommended for dinner — call the hotel: +54 (3868) 49-4007 or book via haciendademolinos.com.ar. Expect to pay $10–20 USD per person for food; wine by the glass $5–10 USD. The hotel itself charges from $150/night if you want to stay — the rooms are original colonial construction with thick adobe walls and carob-wood ceilings.

   Backup: If the hacienda restaurant is closed (they occasionally shut for private events), ask at any of the small local food stalls around the plaza for empanadas. The mud-oven baking method is common in home kitchens across Molinos.

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Insider tips

• Molinos is the gateway to Colomé - combine both visits

• The village hosts a small Poncho Festival in February

• Stay at Hacienda de Molinos for colonial atmosphere and proximity to wineries