San Fernando del Valle de Catamarca city, and there is a considerable production of wine. Other local production includes preserves and handwoven ponchos. Cotton and cattle are important economically, as well as mining at the "Farallón Negro", "Bajo de la Alumbrera" and "Capillitas" mines where gold, silver, copper and tin. San Fernando del Valle de Catamarca San Fernando del Valle de Catamarca () is a city in northwestern Argentina and capital of Catamarca Province, on the Río Valle River, at the feet of the Cerro Ambato. The city name is normally shortened as Catamarca. The city of , located above sea level, has 159,000 inhabitants (),
Catamarca Province low humidity and high solar radiation. Before the arrival of the Spanish conquest, most of today's Catamarca was inhabited by the Diaguitas indigenous people, including the fierce Calchaquí tribe. In 1558 Juan Pérez de Zurita founded "San Juan de la Ribera de Londres", but since it was constantly under attack by indigenous people its population remained small; it was re-founded several times at new sites with new names. The sixth foundation was by Fernando de Mendoza Mate de Luna on July 5, 1683, with the name "San Fernando del Valle de Catamarca". When the Viceroyalty of the Río de la