The coloured bands
On the slopes.
Augusto Sarita — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Bernard Gagnon — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Bernard Gagnon — CC BY-SA 4.0
The Hill of Seven Colours rises behind the small village of Purmamarca at the entrance to the Quebrada de Humahuaca, its slopes banded in red, pink, green, yellow, brown and violet, one of the most famous views in northwest Argentina. Its colours come from a long geological history of marine, lake and river deposits later lifted by the movement of the earth's plates, and the many fossils found there bear witness to it. At its foot lies Purmamarca, with adobe houses, a small white church and a square market selling woollen weavings and local crafts. A short trail around the hill, the Paseo de los Colorados, winds between red hills in about an hour's walk. The colours are richest in the morning, when the sun falls on the hill from the east. The village sits at about 2,300 metres, so take the walk slowly.
On the slopes.
Woollen weavings.
A trail through red hills.
Purmamarca, Jujuy province
Morning, when the sun lights it from the east and the colours show best; in the afternoon it falls into shadow.