There is very little information on the Shinkal ruins, that are probably the oldest Inca ruins in Argentina. The Inca Empire, that had started in year 1197 AD, penetrated in Argentina nearly three centuries later, coming down South as far as Mendoza in Argentina and Santiago in Chile. Some of the present TransAndean crossings like Pircas Negras, at an altitude of 16,000 feet, were populated by the Incas, and it is believed that the Pircas Negras area in La Rioja was one of its provincial capitals. Many mummies have been discovered in that area, and it is believed that the present TransAndean road under construction crosses over an Inca Empire Cemetery.
I discovered this travelling from Córdoba to Belen with a bulldozer operator of that new highway. Pircas Negras has a very hostile climate; the operator told me that he had been blocked in by the snow during twelve days, until the weather improved...
El Shinkal was one of the fortresses in this area. Historians say that Spanish colonizers used to avoid this area, because they were repeatedly defeated by the Incas. This fortress was constructed between 1480 and 1512. This is probably the reason why the Spanish colonizers founded the village of Londres de la Nueva Inglaterra (London of New England), the second one constructed in Argentina, on June 24, 1558. Today Londres has a population of some 2,200 inhabitants. It was founded after Santiago del Estero, and before the city of Buenos Aires, that was founded twenty two years later, in 1580... After having visited the Quilmes Indian Ruins between Cafayate (Salta) and Santa María (Catamarca) I was not so impressed, but we must remember that these ruins are older and that their restoration started only eight years ago, and was undertaken by a relatively medium university (National University of La Plata) with far less economic resources than the National University of Buenos Aires that is working on the reconstruction of the Quilmes Indian Ruins. Both these communities (Incas and Quilmes indians) resisted fiercely the Spanish domination, and it took many years for the Spaniards to overcome their resistance (130 years in the case of the Quilmes Indians). As you may see, there is a lot of history related to these monuments. While you need at least three hours to tour the Quilmes Indian Ruins (some 130 miles north of here), you can visit the Shinkal ruins in slightly more than one hour. Mainly you will see staircases up to the mountain, and what seems to have been the main pyramid. The photos will explain graphically what I am trying to explain in words. Have a look at the pictures and enjoy them.
There is a small museum at the ruins, that should be complemented with a visit to the CondorHuasi museum in the city of Belen, 14 miles away, that has points of arrows that are up to eight thousand years old, and ceramic pieces of the Inca Empire and previous civilizations that belong to the Condorhuasi, Cienaga, and Aguada periods. Unfortunately, the museum has very small premises, and most of their archaeological treasures are stored in a warehouse.
Periodically pieces are taken out of the exposition and replaced by others, so that if you go back you will enjoy seeing other different interesting pieces. I will refer to the Museum in a separate Experience. The Shinkal Inca Ruins are located four and a half miles away from the village of Londres, that was given that name (London in English) in honor of the wife of king Charles III of Spain, since she was British.
There is a very basic lodge in Londres, and three good hotels in Belen, that is 14 miles away from the ruins. There are local buses from Belen to Shinkal at 10 and 12am and at 5.30pm, returning at 12.30am, and 5 and 7pm. Since one hour is enough to tour the ruins, the morning timetable seems to be the best option. A round trip on a taxi with one hour waiting time should cost you twenty dollars, so if you are four, it would cost you five dollars