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It is a Jesuit estancia in the Argentine province of Córdoba. It is located in a wild mountain environment, specifically in a flat area with secondary undulations of the Sierras Grandes (a mountain chain).It dates back to 1687. It was an estancia (a ranch) and not a Jesuit mission, as it was used for agricultural production. There were no Comechingones (original inhabitants of the place) to evangelise as they had been exterminated, but black slaves brought from Buenos Aires worked there. It was run by two priests.
It can be visited with a guided visit, and there are toilets and provisions on site. Nowadays you can see a restored chapel, a restored priests' house and an area of ruins with original constructions.
La Candelaria can be reached by car from the east or west:
- From La Falda: it is about 52 km along a gravel and dirt road that first crosses the Pampa de Olaén, and then continues through rolling sierras and pampas. A little before arriving you cross the crystalline river of La Candelaria.
- From La Higuera: it is about 31 km following a mountain road.
