JUJUY

provincia, extreme northwestern Argentina, bordering Chile (west) and Bolivia (north), having an area of 20,548 square miles (53,219 square km). It comprises several cordilleras of the Andesreaching elevations of 16,500 feet (5,000 m) and separated by a bleak plateau 11,500 feet (3,500 m) high called the Puna de Atacamathat descend on the east to form sub-Andean ranges and valleys. The eastern Andean and sub-Andean ranges are drained by the U-shaped Ro GrandeSan Francisco river system, which in its northeasternmost extension, at less than 1,000 feet (300 m), is warm and humid. The Humahuaca Gorge, in the northwestern part of the system, is a canyon running northward 100 miles (160 km) along the Ro Grande from the provincial capital, San Salvador de Jujuy. It was historically important as a trade route up through the Puna de Atacama to Bolivia and Peru. The region was part of the Inca empire in the late 15th and early 16th centuries. Jujuy derived its name from a type of Inca provincial governor (xuxuyoc) encountered there by the Spanish in the late 16th century. During colonial times the encomiendas (estates) of the region produced foodstuffs and mules for the Bolivian silver mines. The province was organized in 1834, when it was separated from Salta province. With the breakup of Los Andes national territory in 1943, it absorbed Susques department. Jujuy has a high percentage of all mineral resources in Argentina. In the late 20th century the province produced zinc, lead, tin, and silver. High-grade iron ore is mined in the Sierra de Zapla, and a blast furnace operates at the town of Zapla near San Salvador de Jujuy, but inadequate coal supplies and transportation facilities have hindered full development. Commercial agriculture (chiefly sugarcane and tobacco) is restricted to the San Francisco and lower Ro Grande valleys. Pack animals (mules, asses, and llamas) are raised, as are sheep, goats, and lesser numbers of cattle. The seasonal influx of thousands of farm workers from Bolivia creates social and economic problems. About 20 unadorned rural chapels, dating from the 16th to the 18th century, are extant in the Humahuaca Gorge and Puna de Atacama. Pop. (1989 est.) 503,000.