According to local legend, in 1619 the image of the Virgen del Valle appeared in Gruta de Choya , 7km north of downtown Catamarca on RP 32. The present image is a replica of that in Catamarca’s cathedral, and a protective structure shelters the grotto itself. Empresa Cotca’s bus 104 goes to the Gruta de Choya every 40 minutes (AR$1.75) from outside the San Francisco monastery.
