Cordoba, the capital of a state of the same name, was founded in the 16th century by the Spanish. As far back as the 17th century it witnessed the emergence of one of the first universities on the South American continent, the source of its undisputed cultural influence thenceforth in the area. The city has since entered the modern age with its skyscrapers and industrial and technological complexes; nonetheless, it has retained its authentic core with its colonial mansions and its architectural heritage deeply imprinted with the religious devotion, past and present, of its inhabitants to the Catholic religion. This can be seen in its magnificent “Manzana Jesuítica”, a veritable Jesuit town which is a World Heritage site.

The influence of the Jesuits can be traced throughout Cordoba in the superb Jesuit estancias, the most magnificent of which is undoubtedly that of Santa Catalina near El Colibri.