2 Best Sights in Salta and San Lorenzo, The Northwest

Every salteño's soul belongs to the landmark St. Francis Church and Convent, with its white pillars and bright terra-cotta-and-gold facade. The first sanctuary was built in 1625; the second, erected in 1674, was destroyed by fire; the present version was completed in 1882. A 53-meter (173-foot) belfry houses the Campaña de la Patria. This bell, made from the bronze cannons used in the War of Independence, sounds once a day at 7:30 pm. In the sacristy, the Museo Convento San Francisco displays religious art. Guided visits are at 11, 12, 4, 5, and 6, Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, and at 5 and 6 pm on Saturday.

Salta's oldest religious building served as a chapel first, then a hospital. Today it is home to a cloistered order of Carmelite nuns. The wooden rococo-style door, carved by indigenous craftsmen in 1762, contrasts markedly with the otherwise stark exterior of this 1625 structure.