The town and the inn
Puna, silence and history 
The small town of Yavi, today with only 300 inhabitants, was a very important place a couple of centuries ago due to its location and its richness. It was, at that time, the obligatory stopover on the royal road of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata, halfway between Alto Perú and Buenos Aires.
To speak of Yavi is to speak of the only marquisate that existed in the current Argentine territory. The official noble title was Marquis of Valle del Tojo, although it was and is known as Marquis of Yavi, because this town was its main seat. The last of them, Juan José Feliciano Fernández Campero y Pérez de Uriondo, supported the independence forces, led in the north by Martín Miguel de Güemes. He helped the Army of the North contributing horses, grains and, above all, troops for the combat; reason for which, when he was captured in an ambush by the royalists, he was sent to exile and died on his way to Spain, during a stopover in Jamaica.
The color of the town is that of the adobe of its houses, which contrasts with the green of the surroundings. Known as "the oasis of the puna", its streets, barely animated by a few sleepy and bored dogs, are made of stone. The Yaveños are farmers and, given the harsh climate, they work in the nearby farms from mid-morning until almost dusk.
Whoever arrives in Yavi -probably- aims to enter its historical church of San Francisco de Asís, whose exceptional ornamentation is very well preserved... But there are several surprises that this remote town in northern Argentina has to offer.
To begin with, its beautiful tree-lined square with tall elms, willows and poplars. Walking along its empty paths makes you feel as if you were in a western movie.
Then its sunsets, in which the radiant orange takes over the horizon, especially on the stretch of Provincial Route 5 that connects Yavi with La Quiaca to the west; to the south, the last rays are reflected in the Cordón de los Ocho Hermanos, a mountainous formation of extreme beauty. During our visit we were fortunate that the sun decided to lie down just at the end of the stretch, while a herd of skittish vicuñas showed up near the road. It felt like a special treat to witness that scene - one of @tripticity_'s best sunsets!
Another find was Posada Tika, where we decided to stay.
Attended by its owners, it has seven small, well-equipped rooms with a warm atmosphere.
For dinner, Silvia -an architect by profession but a lover of good food- offers guests a three-course dinner with local seasonal products; to start, a quinoa tabbouleh with mint, green onion, tomato, a little bit of coriander and other aromatic herbs; then it was the turn of the main course, a collarejas potato cake and lamb braised with malbec, with baked tomatoes as garnish. When it came to sweets, the apple mille-feuille accompanied by a pavlova.
Early in the morning we enjoyed breakfast, also served by the hosts in the dining room: breads, puddings and cinnamon and ginger cookies, all homemade. Afterwards, visits to the church of San Francisco de Asís and the Provincial Museum Casa Hacienda del Marqués de Tojo awaited us, to complete the experience of puna and history in its purest beauty.
