Difunta Correa
Opening and closing hours are from 8 am to midnight (last entry at 10 pm)
64 km of the City of San Juan, in the town of Vallecito, department of Caucete, is the Sanctuary of the Difunta Correa. From the City of San Juan, Route 20 connects with Route 141 and brings you closer to this sanctuary, which can also be accessed by foot or bicycle along the "Pilgrim Path", which has rest areas with barbecues, benches and tables. In addition, the Vallecito bus company has daily departures from the Bus Terminal Station in San Juan.
For many years now, the popular myth of Deolinda Correa has been transmitted by word of mouth and today it is represented in a sanctuary where the faith and beliefs of a whole community are expressed.
Deolinda Correa was a woman who started a long walk on foot with her little son. Deolinda prepared enough supplies to walk from San Juan to La Rioja, where her husband was imprisoned.
The characteristic sun of San Juan and the lack of water caused Deolinda to never reunite with her great love. She died of thirst in the deserted San Juan road. However, a miracle happened: her son survived. Even after dead, she continued to breastfeed her baby.
Today, Difunta Correa is venerated by thousands of followers, who always offer her bottles of water. Some devotees climb the steps kneeling, others walk along the Pilgrim Path to the Sanctuary, while some prefer to bike from Caucete to Vallecito.
This is a must-do in San Juan.
Faith Ride
Imagine hundreds of gauchos riding in the name of faith. This happens after the harvest, since 27 years ago without interruption. It is organized by the Gaucho Argentina Confederation and the Gaucho San Juan Federation, with the support of the Government of San Juan.
Two days of half a day of horseback riding, with cultural manifestations, bonfires, typical foods, Cuyo folklore, rites, payadas, and more. This is the end to a gaucho festival in the heart of the sanctuary of the Difunta Correa.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4ft4B7tsBY
Achango Chapel
The Achango Chapel brings together an important number of devotees due to its adobe walls, its gabled roof with carob sticks and the earth floor covered by carpets woven on the loom that protect the Virgen del Carmen, brought from Cuzco.
The chapel was built by the Jesuits in the seventeenth century and is located on a hill of the Department of Iglesia, with an ancient bell tower. The tour is free and you can learn about the history of this emblematic place.
