Ascochinga, Village in the Sierras Chicas, Córdoba Province, Argentina
Ascochinga is a small village in Córdoba Province, Argentina, set in the Sierras Chicas hills where two smaller rivers meet to form the Ascochinga river. Stone houses, old estate buildings, and tree-lined paths make up most of what you see as you walk through the village.
From the 19th century onward, Ascochinga attracted wealthy families from Córdoba who built large country estates and turned the village into a summer retreat. Among the most notable owners was the family of President Julio Argentino Roca, whose estate La Paz still stands today.
The name Ascochinga comes from an indigenous word meaning something like "lost dog," taken from the river that runs through the village. That river shapes daily life here, drawing people to its banks for fishing, walking, or cooling off at its natural pools in summer.
Ascochinga is reached by two paved provincial roads, and there is also a mountain track called Camino del Pungo for those who want a more rural approach through the hills. The village has no local government of its own, so for tourist information it is worth checking with the nearby town of La Granja.
Inside the stone church Sagrado Corazón de Jesús, finished around 1900, a plaque records a visit by John F. Kennedy when he was still a senator, and his wife is said to have helped raise money for its construction. This connection to a future US president is something most visitors walking through the village do not expect to find.
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