The Jujuy Exodus: What Happened in 1812 and How It's Remembered

In 1812, the revolution launched in Buenos Aires two years earlier was in danger in the north. After a heavy defeat at Huaqui, the patriot Army of the North had fallen back, demoralized and short of weapons. Belgrano, the man who created the Argentine flag, took command that year, set up headquarters in San Salvador de Jujuy and rebuilt the army. On 25 May he had the blue-and-white flag blessed in the city's main church, today's cathedral.

Meanwhile a royalist army of around 3,000 men under General Pío Tristán was advancing from Upper Peru. The government in Buenos Aires ordered Belgrano to retreat to Córdoba and leave the enemy nothing it could use. On 29 July 1812, Belgrano signed a proclamation (bando) in Jujuy addressed to the people of the province. Some of its orders, as reproduced by Argentina's national government:

• Ranchers: move all cattle, horses, mules and sheep from their estates toward Tucumán.
• Farmers: secure their harvests by taking them to the same place.
• Merchants: pack up their goods and send them south; anything left behind would be burned.
• Everyone: anyone not ready to march at the first order would be treated as a traitor.

The penalties were brutal, including execution, and the order demanded an enormous sacrifice from ordinary people.

The general evacuation began on 23 August 1812. Men and women, the old and the young, rich and poor left the city with whatever they could carry, on foot, on horseback or in ox carts. Crops were harvested or burned, houses destroyed, wells blocked and goods sent south. As the order demanded, the enemy found only bare land.

• Distance: about 360 km (224 miles) to Tucumán along the old Camino de las Postas, the colonial post road that roughly follows today's Route 34, according to the national government.
• How many: an estimated 1,500 people took part, out of 2,500 to 3,500 living in the city and its district.
• From the Quebrada: a column left Humahuaca on 21 August and joined the main group near the city.
• The rearguard: about 200 soldiers under Eustoquio Díaz Vélez stayed behind to slow the royalist advance.

Tradition says Belgrano was the last to leave the empty city.

The sacrifice paid off. With no food or livestock along the way, Tristán's army advanced worn down. On 3 September 1812 the patriot rearguard beat the royalist vanguard at the battle of Las Piedras, and Belgrano made the decision that made him famous: instead of retreating to Córdoba as ordered, he stayed in Tucumán and gave battle.

• 24 September 1812: battle of Tucumán, a patriot victory.
• 20 February 1813: battle of Salta, which won back the north.
• 4 March 1813: with its people back home, Jujuy's town council met again.

In 1813 Belgrano gave the people of Jujuy the flag now known as the National Flag of Civil Liberty in recognition of their sacrifice. It is displayed at Government House on Plaza Belgrano, along with an immersive exhibit about the Exodus. Visiting details are in what to see in San Salvador de Jujuy. A national law (25,664) also names Jujuy honorary capital of Argentina every 23 August.

This is the most moving part and the one that draws the biggest crowd. The Marcha Evocativa re-creates the people's departure: gaucho associations on horseback, local institutions and families in period costume, with their animals, walk through the city as night falls on 22 August. In 2026 it reached its 71st edition and, according to the provincial governor, more than 20,000 people took part. It is organized by the city of San Salvador de Jujuy and the Asociación Gaucha Jujeña, and many gauchos ride down from the hills on their own initiative to join in.

This was the 2026 plan, a useful reference:

• 5 pm: assembly on Avenida Córdoba, at the tip of Parque San Martín.
• 7 pm: departure along Calle Salta, the Avenida Urquiza roundabout and Avenida Gorriti.
• 8 pm: reading of Belgrano's proclamation and the symbolic burning on the bed of the Xibi Xibi river, beneath the Gorriti bridge.
• Afterward: dispersal and a ceremonial changing of the guard at Government House.

The burning is a large bonfire representing the city set alight before the departure. The route varies: some earlier editions used a circuit inside Parque Xibi Xibi, while in 2026 it returned to downtown streets. Check the route the city publishes the week before.

The anniversary itself starts early. In 2026 the main ceremony began at 8:30 am on Plaza General Belgrano, with flag raising, the national anthem, wreaths, a bugle call and a religious blessing. Officials then moved to Alto Comedero, a large district in the south of the city, for the civic, military and gaucho parade on Avenida Forestal, which started at 10:30 am in 2026.

Schools, security forces and local institutions march past, but the highlight is the gaucho section: hundreds of riders in ponchos and wide-brimmed hats from all over the province. It's a family day out, with crowds lining the avenue and food stalls along the way.

23 August is a provincial public holiday under provincial law 4059: banks and government offices close, and many shops open shorter hours. In 2027 it falls on a Monday, giving Jujuy a long weekend.

The march and parade are surrounded by a weekend of music and food. In 2026 the city added the first National Jujuy Exodus Festival at the Ciudad Cultural venue, alongside the 40th edition of Los Hornitos, a regional food fair run by neighborhood associations, with free entry by day and ticketed concerts at night. On the night of the 22nd there was also a peña, a traditional folk music night, hosted by the Asociación Gaucha Jujeña, plus shows in theaters and bars.

It's a great chance to try dishes from Jujuy's traditional cuisine cooked by local residents themselves. The program changes every year and appears in the provincial culture agenda a few days ahead.

The commemoration isn't limited to the capital. Many towns stage their own re-enactment, often with a gaucho campfire (fogón) and a community dinner. These were some of the 2026 events in the official agenda:

• San Antonio: re-enactment, food and crafts fair, music and symbolic burning on 22 August.
• Maimará: ceremony and re-enactment of the march at the Puente Pachamama on the 23rd, followed by a community dinner open to all. Pair it with Maimará's Painter's Palette hills.
• Los Paños: commemoration with a gaucho campfire on the afternoon of the 23rd.
• Fraile Pintado: a serenade to the Exodus on the night of the 22nd.

If you're staying in the Quebrada, ask the local tourist office: there's often a school ceremony, parade or campfire even if it isn't in the provincial agenda.

• Where to stand: for the burning, the best spots are along the riverbanks and around the Gorriti bridge. Arrive before 7 pm for a close view.
• Layers: August is the dry winter; days are usually mild and sunny, but nights get chilly. Bring a jacket for the march.
• Traffic: from 5 pm roads along the route close and city buses are diverted. On the 23rd the parade is in Alto Comedero, far from downtown: take a taxi, remís or bus and leave early.
• Holiday: with banks closed, carry cash for the food stalls.
• Where to stay: downtown puts you within walking distance of Plaza Belgrano and the march route. Compare areas in where to stay in San Salvador de Jujuy.
• Make a month of it: August is also Pachamama month, and a week earlier, on 15 August, there's the Toreo de la Vincha in Casabindo.

To explore the city beyond this date, start with our San Salvador de Jujuy guide, and check the events calendar for the rest of the year.