Casa Museo Barbarita Cruz

A boutique hotel in an artist's house 

On the emblematic Lavalle Street, the one that leads to the track towards the Cerro de los Siete Colores of Purmamarca, an old manor house, converted into an inn, opens its doors to the visitor.

It is the house of Barbarita Cruz, the famous painter, ceramist and coplera from Jujuy. An institution in Purmamarca, she was an avant-garde in her time when she decided to give art classes to children and women of her town, within the framework of her extraordinary project "Manos de Arcilla" (Hands of Clay), offering them much more than just a skill. She was a cultural activist in the Quebrada.

That restless and generous spirit was reflected in her house, which received memorable visits and gave shelter to popular gatherings. Perhaps that glorious past marked forever the destiny of those adobe walls and explains the reason why today it has become in a beautiful boutique hotel.

Barbarita died at the age of 93. Her niece, Susana Pariente, together with her husband Eduardo Bosch, opened the hotel Casa Barbarita Cruz after their retirement from work. They honored history by maintaining the original wide walls, cardon and cane beamed ceilings, adding what was necessary to offer pleasant accommodations. The four nicely decorated rooms overlook the central courtyard of the estate.

In the main room, the one that received the illustrious visits of artists, there are still two drawings made by Jujuy artist Guadalupe "Michi" Aparicio, executed during one of his visits to Barbarita.

In addition, paintings and drawings by her students and other artists who visited her are exhibited, as the exchange of works seems to have been the common denominator of those encounters. In the glass cabinet of the small adjoining room are preserved the little ceramic angels characteristic of her work.

One autumn Saturday morning, while walking through the beautiful northern town, we decided to ring the doorbell of the house without much hope. To our surprise, Eduardo opened the door and welcomed us. Just then Susana appeared, ready to join the tour. It was then that they revealed to us that they were in the process of expanding the project. We climbed the stairs to see -still under construction- the new rooms that the boutique hotel will have. On the top floor there is a little terrace with the best view of the hills of Purmamarca. We imagined ourselves having breakfast in that majestic corner, while the colors of the Andean sunrise give a rainbow in the sky. Hopefully soon this wish will come true!