Argentina Guide
Mendoza, San Juan and La Rioja
San José de Jáchal
The small town of SAN JOSÉ DE JÁCHAL lies in the fertile valley of the Río Jáchal, 155km due north of San Juan by RN-40. The town was founded in the seventeenth century on the site of a pre-Columbian village. Destroyed in a severe earthquake in 1894, the town was rebuilt using mud-bricks in an Italianate style, with arched facades and galleried patios, focused on the Plaza Mayor. San José itself isn't much to write home about, but it makes for a convenient stopover, if you need a bed for the night or want to have lunch. A few accommodation possibilities exist, but the only one that can be recommended is the Plaza Hotel, San Juan 545 ( 
02647/420256; Price: $30-45), which offers pleasant rooms with or without bath. The best place to eat is El Chatito Flores, at San Juan and Juan de Echegaray, which offers hearty, inexpensive food in very unexceptional surroundings.
North of San José, RN-40 suddenly swerves to the east and the road continuing straight ahead, RP-456, cuts through San José's rural northern suburbs amid bucolic farmland. With a stark mountain backdrop, this dazzlingly green valley, dotted with adobe farmhouses, some of them with splendid sun-faded wooden doors, looks like the parts of Morocco in the lee of the Atlas. Canals and little ditches water the fields, using snow melt from the cordillera and precordillera, as rain is rare here. At the beginning of the nineteenth century, a number of flour mills were built here, and they are now rightly historic monuments. Their pinkish-beige walls, wonderfully antiquated machinery and enthusiastic owners make for a memorable visit. El Molino, the Molino de Pérez and the Molino de Reyes, all within a few hundred metres of each other on either side of the road, are open to visitors, but the most rewarding is the extremely well-preserved Molino de Sardiña at the corner of calles Maturrango and Mesias. The charming owner will be delighted to show you around, but always appreciates a tip. Try to be here in the early evening when the warm light adds to the magically timeless atmosphere.