Cusi Cusi

Valley of the Moon

Cusi-Cusi is located the northwestern tip of Argentina -Red circle in this map

It located 5 km (3 mi) south of the village of Cusi-Cusi and is known as El Valle de la Luna which means "Valley of the Moon" in Spanish, and also (just to add a bit of confusion) as el Valle de Marte (or "Mars Valley").

Its name in the native Quechua language is "Puca Ukúqai" which very appropriately means "Red Valley".

What does Cusi-Cusi mean?

The strang name "cusi-cusi" which can also be written: "cussi cussi" and "kusi kusi" is a spider of the Salticidae family, known as Polybetes pythagoricus. A jumping spider that resembles a "tarantula" and which lives in the region.

Just as an example of the importance this spider has, see the 150 foot-long (46 m) spider drawn on the Nazca plain in Peru.

Its northern and eastern boundaries are marked Route 40, and furher east a dry river bed that flows into the Tiomayo River. To the west, a ridge separates the valley from the Granados River, and to the south it ends in some hills located between both rivers.

Its elevation is 3,800 meters (12,460 ft) above sea level.

Its pinnacles stand over 100 m (310 ft) above the floor of the valley.

The color of its rocks ranges from white and gray to red and carmine. Mostly volcanic ash.

There are several spots along Ruta 40 overlooking the Valley, but you cannot drive into it from the highway.

Below is a Satellite view of the valley.

The valley is shaped like an inverted "L" which measures: on the NE-SW axis: 4,000 ft long by 1,500 ft wide. The other axis, which runs from north to south measures 3,300 ft.

Geology of "Mars Valley"

The origin of the red rocks

The layers of stone in the "Valle de la Luna" were formed at different times over millions of years. The uppermost layer is the youngest, and is known as the "Tiomayo Formation".

Tiomayo Formation

These rocks are layers of volcanic tuff known as "Cusi-Cusi tuff". They were laid down following explosive eruptions at the nearby Panizos volcanic complex. The ashes are between 6 and 12 Million years old.

In the area you can also find tuff from the Laguna de Pozuelos complex and pyroclastic flows, blending volcanic ash and pumaceous lapilli (Ignimbrites, from Coranzuli).

Volcanic Tuff

Tuff is a low density, porous rock formed by the "consolidation" (compacting) of volcanic ash ejected during a volcanic eruptions. They usually originate during pyroclastic events, which are explosive eruptions where a mixture of volcanic gas and very hot solid materials move along the ground at speeds of up to 120 mph.

The "Tiomayo Formation" overlies another older group of rocks, but these are not volcanic:

When the Andes mountains formed during the initial stage of the Incaic tectonic phase some 12 to 18 Million years ago, older rocks of the Santa Bárbara Group wore down, and the eroded sediments settled in basins located to the east of the newborn Andes. These were continental sediments formed in oxidizing riverine environments. They are known as the Peña Colorada Formation (or Red Cliff Formation).

Peña Colorada Formation

Made up of continental sediments that include sandstone and mudstone with colors that range from "red brick" and purple to gray and reddish. They have inclusions of white or gray-green volcanic tuff.

This formation's lowest layers has thick grained sandstone with gray, yellowish and red tints that are on average 150 ft. thick. They emerge as outcroppings here in Cusi-Cusi an in neighboring Paicone, whith a thickness of 230 feet.

Beneath the red "Peña Colorada" rocks is yet another older formation:

Acoite Formation

It consists of an upper Cenozoic layer of rocks up to 500 m thick (1,640 ft).

These are marine sediments that form rocks of different types and tones: psammite (formed from sand) and pelite (formed from clays) with a gray color and lutite, or shale with dark tones.

These form clearly stratified layers of sediment up to 20 m (66 ft.) thick.

Rainfall over the course of the ages has eroded these rocks, exposing the underlying layers. The lack of superficial vegetation in the desertic plateau promotes erosion. The outcome is the magnificent valley that we see today.

The village of Cusi-Cusi

Cusi-Cusi is a small village with less than 250 residents. It is set on the southern bank of the Quebrada de Cusi Cusi River, close to where it meets the Granadas River.

Its inhabitants make a living by breeding llamas, mules and sheep or by working in the Mina Pirquitas mine. Some make local handicrafts (onix decorations or hand-woven ponchos and blanckets with sheep or llama wool).

More recently the production of Quinoa by the local co-operative, "Cooperativa Agrícola de Comunidades Andinas Limitada" or CADECAL has grown considerably.

The History of Cusi-Cusi

The Puna highlands have been inhabited for at least ten thousand years, and in more recent times, the local natives were farmers who also worked metals and domesticated the local llama and alpaca. They lived in stone homes with thatched roofs.

The Inca empire conquered the Puna around 1470 AD and built the The Inca Trail across the new territory to link it with the imperial capital in Cusco, Peru.

The Spaniards arrived in 1537, but were rarely seen in the distant and isolated Cusi-Cusi.

Then in the 1600s, the Marquessate of Yavi was created in the village of Yavi, Jujuy, home of the Marquis of Yavi or Tojo. They reigned over a vast area that encompassed the Puna region of Salta and Jujuy, part of the provinces of Tarija and Chuquisaca in Bolivia and all of the (now Chilean) Puna de Atacama.

During Argentina's Independence war against Spain, the last Marquis, Juan José Fernández Campero who was fighting on the Republican side, was captured by the royalists and jailed. He died in prison. But his land was claimed by a Bolivian army Colonel, Fernando Campero Barragán, who said he was the legal heir. Bolivia quickly absorbed the Marquessate and what is now Cusi-Cusi became Bolivian territory.

Argentina claimed this unlawful occupation and only ater the Pacific War (1879-1883) which pitted Chile against Bolivia and Peru did Argentina manage to negotiate with the victor (Chile), the return of the occupied territory.

Cusi-Cusi and the western part of the Puna of Jujuy, Salta and Catamarca were returned to Argentina in the late 1890s.

The village of Cusi-Cusi

The local shepherds lived close to the "Old Church" or "Vieja Iglesia" (which is located here - see this map).

The church is around 200 years old and the village around it was known as "Kakahara", but there was no space to expand the settlement so they moved 3 km to the east (2 mi.) to its current location.

The new town dates back to 1954 and only has two streets running along it, a church and a village square.

The Rivers: hidrology

The Valley of the Moon is the outcome of the erosion caused by rain falling on the relatively "soft" rocks located on the eastern bank of the Granadas River. The rainwater runs down from the valley into the Granadas river along an unnamed stream which is dry most of the year.

The Granadas River has its sources upstream of Cusi-Cusi and receives the inflow from several Puna rivers (like the Queñoal, River, where you can fish trout). Downstream it is known as San Juan del Oro River (Bolivia) or río Grande de San Juan.

It is part of the vast River Plate watershed, and its waters eventually reach the Atlantic Ocean after running along the Camblaya, Pilaya,Pilcomayo, Paraguay, Paraná and River Plate rivers.

Weather

The Valley is located at 3,800 meters above sea level (12,460 ft) in the Puna plateau. It has cold, dry weather, with strong winds and frost almost year round. It also has a very wide temperature swing between day and night. It is sunny most of the year except during the rainy summer period (Nov. to Apr.) when around 300 mm or 11.8 inches of rain fall.

The weather is extreme, with a mean annual average of only 7°C (44.6°F) in the lower areas. Below are some tips and advice on how survive in the Puna.

La Puna has a very dry climate with a very low relative humidity (on average 47%).

Dryness and altitude make for a very clear sky, so the sun is very strong (watch out for your skin and UV radiation, use a good sunscreen and dark glasses).

There is a great difference between daytime and nighttime temperatures of 18°C (32.4°C). Nights are cold even during summer.

During winter, temperature is well below freezing point.

Expect frost 220 days per year. The mean temperature during summer -Jan- is 12°C (54°F) and in winter -Jul- it is 2.2°C (36°F).

Getting there by Bus

There are tours from Humahuaca and also buses (Burgos bus company) from Abra Pampa on Ruta Nacional 9. It is a 125 km (78 mi) ride and it takes 4 hours.

Driving to Cusi Cusi

The Northernomost section of Ruta 40

The Valley of the Moon is located on the Segment from San Antonio de los Cobres to La Quiaca

This is a very difficult mountain road, gravel and dirt surfaced, it crosses many rivers using fords (not bridges).

Drive with care: it is a winding road, at high altitudes and has very few villages along it and no gasoline except at Susques and its end and starting points. The weather is tough.

See the maps below from Susques to Cusi Cusi and from La Quiaca to Cusi Cusi:

• Susques to Cusi Cusi
• La Quiaca to Cusi Cusi

Accommodation in Jujuy

The town of Susques south of Cusi Cusi on paved Ruta Nacional 52 is a good option to spend a night en route to Cusi Cusi. Another is at La Quiaca:

Find your hotel in La Quiaca...

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Your Hotel in Susques

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There are plenty of hotels, hostels and inns in the nearby towns in Salta and Jujuy provinces

San Salvador de Jujuy

San Antonio de los Cobres

Susques

Purmamarca

La Quiaca

Humahuaca

Huacalera

Maimará

Villa Jardín de Reyes

Yala

Termas de Reyes

Quebrada de Humahuaca

Tilcara

Provincia de Jujuy

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