Cordoba, Argentina’s old colonial capital, is a picturesque city of a million and a half people located on the edge of a mountain range known as the Sierra Chica. Before the rise of Buenos Aires, Cordoba was Argentina’s centre of arts and learning, a place of scholars and priests, churches and universities. Though in terms of national importance the city has fallen behind the capital, it retains a distinctive grace.

The Primero River forms Cordoba’s main natural landmark. The physical centre is the Plaza San Martin, named for Argentina’s great liberator and the site of the city’s cathedral. South of the plaza is Calle Obispo Trejos, an avenue lined with some of the city’s most illustrious colonial buildings, including the Compania de Jesus Church, built in 1645.