Santiago del Estero Province

Santiago del Estero is a province of Argentina, located in the north of the country. Neighbouring provinces are from the north clockwise Salta, Chaco, Santa Fe, Córdoba, Catamarca and Tucumán. The autochthonous inhabitants of these lands were the Juríes-Tonocotés, Sanavirones and other tribes. Intriguingly, Santiago del Estero is still home to about 100,000 speakers of the local variety of Quechua, making this the southernmost outpost of the lang... more

Santiago del Estero is a province of Argentina, located in the north of the country. Neighbouring provinces are from the north clockwise Salta, Chaco, Santa Fe, Córdoba, Catamarca and Tucumán. The autochthonous inhabitants of these lands were the Juríes-Tonocotés, Sanavirones and other tribes. Intriguingly, Santiago del Estero is still home to about 100,000 speakers of the local variety of Quechua, making this the southernmost outpost of the language of the Incas. Quite when the language reached the area, and how, remains unclear, however - it may even have arrived only with the native troops that accompanied the first Spanish expeditions. Diego de Rojas first reached this lands in 1542. Francisco de Aguirre founded the city of Santiago del Estero in 1553 as the most northerly city founded by Spanish conquistadores coming from the Pacific Ocean. Santiago then belonged to different governments, passing from the intendency of Tucumán to the Audiencia de Charcas, then again to Tucumán,... less