Salta has a touch of elegance that reveals the sumptuous past that still lives in the large old houses and flowery patios. Here, the Spanish influence is best preserved. Colonial churches abound. Jujuy contains links to the Inca Empire as well as remnants of the colonial period. The Paso is an Andean pass that links Salta with Antofagasta. The area is dotted with old mining towns, natural thermal springs, and colonial villages where time seems to have been kept still since the late 1600's.