San Carlos is a historic village in Calchaquíes Valleys located at the National Route 40, 27 km from Cafayate.

Even though the mission was reestablished after being destroyed, the Calchaquí Valleys were almost deserted for many years since the majority of its population was moved a great distance to Córdoba and even to the proximities of Buenos Aires.

San Carlos was the most important population of the valleys (at the time of independence) which had a noticeable Peninsular tendency and it constitutes itself as the center of the royalist opposition led by colonel Aramburú.

In 1813, Pio Tristán's officers sacked the village and destroyed everything so as it would not fall into the power of the patriotic force hands which- after the battle of Tucumán- advanced towards Salta.

In the following months, the population had been declared in [favor] of the independence struggle and because of this in those days colonel Gregorio Aráoz de Lamadrid was helped with mules and horses in 1817 when he was making an incursion into Upper Peru.

This church, which is the biggest in the Calchaquí Valleys and the unique with a transept and a dome, reflects the importance that it had in the region: San Carlos disputed the city of Salta the honor to be the capital of the province.

The strong shaking of the 1930s earthquake weakened the original vaulted roof which forced to substitute it with trusses and zinc sheets; thus, the spatial quality of the unique nave, which was built with thick adobe walls, was altered.

The transept arms and the apse conserved the dome built over wooden beams, which were supported by half point arches.