Al poblado de Coronel Moldes se le conoció en los primeros años de la conquista como Puerta de Díaz, porque perteneció a Pedro de Díaz, uno de los fundadores de Salta, y porque para defensa de la invasión de los indios calchaquíes, se creó en la zona un destacamento militar que se ubicó a la entrada de la población y se denominó primero Fuerte San Bernardo.

Durante el período colonial, la historia de la zona es la misma que la del resto del Tucumán, sin altibajos, aunque siempre con incursiones de los indomables indios calchaquíes.
  
La Independencia
  
En 1812, tras la derrota de Ayohuma, Belgrano fue perseguido por el enemigo y luego de afianzar posiciones en el Alto Perú empezó la invasión a Salta
  
Los patriotas salteños inmediatamente comenzaron los esfuerzos para rechazar la invasión y en toda la provincia se fueron armando focos de resistencia entre los que también se cuentan las de Puerta de Díaz, Guachipas y otros, Convocados por Dn. Toribio Tedín. y Dn. Pedro José Saravia.

Otro de los grandes paticipantes fue Dn. Apolinario Saravia quien actuara conjuntamente con Luis Burela impidiendo que los españoles consigan víveres para su ejército el cual se fue debilitando paulatinamente por la falta de recursos. Estas acciones fueron valoradas por el Gral. San Martín quién en un parte fechado 23 de marzo de 1814 al Director Supremo alaba el sacrificio de los campesinos de estas zonas, principalmente los de Puerta de Díaz, por sus heroicos actos.

De esta manera el m coronel Castro fue detenido en Salta por las acciones de las zonas rurales de Puerta de Díaz y Guachipas, cuando el general Güemes llegó luego y reorganizo las fuerzas ya en pié de guerra dio comienzo a la bien conocida en nuestra historia "La gaucho guerra". Es decir que, gracias al esfuerzo oportuno defensiva que se mantuvo desde el valle de Guachipas es que se salvó el movimiento revolucionario de un desastre que habria podido ser grave.

A partir de entonces la participación de los contingentes de la Puerta de Díaz y Guachipas fueron conocidos por el famoso nombre de "Escuadrón de Guachipas", de destacada actuación en la guerra gaucha.

A partir de 1850 Puerta de Díaz pasa a manos de Dn. Francisco Javier de Figueroa y a finales de 1857 el obispo de Tucumán, José Eusebio Colombres, creen que la rectoría de la Viña de Guachipas, separándola de la de Guachipas. Un año después, en noviembre de 1858, la Representación General de la Provincia transforma la rectoría en el departamento del mismo nombre.
Años después, en 1878, Puerta de Díaz fue declarada capital del departamento de La Viña de Guachipas ", en reconocimiento al núcleo poblacional que se había concentrado. Para entonces él / ella ya tenía una casa y templo parroquial, y la sala de lugar privado para el casa municipal, se perdería, la escuela y la cárcel. Pero en 1892 él / ella dejó de tener esa categoría, la que pasó a la ciudad de La Viña.
En 1907 la estación de ferrocarril de Coronel Moldes se inauguró. Como paso del ferrocarril con otros pueblos del Condado, Puerta de Díaz perdió su nombre y se hizo conocido por el de su estación.

En 1808 llegó a ser capital, por poco tiempo, del departamento de La Viña, y al inaugurarse en 1909 la estación del ferrocarril de Coronel Moldes, el pueblo tomó este nombre. Destaca la iglesia parroquial, muy antigua, que conserva una imagen de San Bernardo, patrono local. La fiesta en su honor es el 20 de agosto.

Coronel Moldes se erige en un marco de extraordinaria belleza panorámica, zona de actividad agropecuaria; entre las serranías del valle de Lerma, emergen plantaciones de tabaco, algodón y pimientos.

También hay pesca deportiva, cuevas para visitar, sin olvidarse de la fabricación de los quesos regionales.

COMO LLEGAR
A 1,104 msnm y a 62 kilómetros de Salta.

EXCURSIONES Y PASEOS

Dique Potrero de Díaz (4 Km)
Pequeño embalse en medio de pintorescos paisajes. Instalaciones del Club de Pesca y Náutica Coronel Moldes; hostería, refugio y lanchas. Pesca deportiva de pejerrey.

Complejo Hidroeléctrico Cabra Corral "Presa General Belgrano" (27 Km)
Monumental presa edificada en medio de un bello panorama. La capacidad de embalse de 3,800 hm3, con un espejo de agua de 13,100 hectáreas; la longitud aproximada del embalse del dique General Belgrano, es de 515 metros. Obra trascendente para la solución de problemas energéticos de una vasta zona del noroeste argentino, que asegura la irrigación de más de 110,000 hectáreas, en las provincias de Salta y Santiago del Estero. Pesca deportiva. Alojamiento.

En Cnel Moldes tenemos para acampar: Tel. 0387-4905014/51. Cabañas, sanitarios y duchas

Más información...

COLONEL MOLDES 
 
HINGE ENTITY TWO VALLEYS 

 
                                                        For: María Laura Fuentes of Of the Rivers 

         Coronel's Moldes history goes back to the you first years of the foundation of the city of it Jumps (1582), first agree permanent of the Valley of Lerma. "Door of Díaz", name with which it was known the place traditionally until the years of 1940, it remits their first Spanish proprietor, Don Pero o Pedro Díaz, one of the neighbors that accompanied Hernando of Lerma in the company of being founded Jumps. 
 
In the first distribution of jurisdictional lands, Díaz obtained in grace lands between the serranía and the river of Guachipas, crossed by a river that from then on called you of Díaz". This grace starts up of ends of the XVI Century. Extended to the interior of the serranías, he/she was granted a herdsman, also known by the villagers like the herdsman of Díaz". TO Pedro or Pedro Días happened in such properties his son Antonio. "Door of Díaz the denomination of the entrance of the gulch that took to the herdsman was in whose center, exactly, the river of Díaz was born" (today stream dove Yaco) and Door of Díaz."  

To the Díaz it happened them in the property of the lands Don Melchor Díaz Zambrano, genealogical trunk of the family of the same name, secular proprietors of lands in the valley of the Indian Guachipas, and whose to be able to and for successive inheritances they remained until the I Continue XVIII. 

During the colonial period, the history of the area is the same one of that of the rest of the Tucumán; without ups and downs, although always with it still keels her of an entrance of Indian Calchaquíes, untamable, that got paid with blood their freedom, alibi. 
 
The Independence 
 
When in the country it sounded the liberal scream of May and the whole North ran off with in weapons against Spanish, those guachipas descendants and Spaniards Americanized they also hurried to meet under the emblem patriot. In 1812, after the defeat of Ayohuma, Belgrano was pursued by the enemy who, after surrounding all the positions patriots in the highland, it began the invasion toward it Jumps.  
 
To save the revolution, the human of the town, in those terrible ones, moments, he/she stayed high and he/she deigns. Immediately the efforts began to reject the invasion and they met this way in it Jumps contingents of the whole County among those that also counted those of Door of Díaz, Guachipas and other, recruited by Don Toribio Tedín. He/she put on to the front Don Pedro José of Saravia. 

The population of the Capital and neighboring towns ran off with in weapons and with furniture, livestocks and goods he/she ran until the valley of Guachipas, elected place for Saravia to make resistance to the invader. The enemy vanguard to the control of Castro's Saturnine colonel advanced until it Jumps and of there to the Valley of Guachipas, unsuccessful in its intent of dominating the patriots for the habilísma war of resources that made him the peasantry of the Valley of Lerma. It is iteresentate to know what in this respect the general San Martin says in his part directed to the Supreme director, with date 23 of March of 1814. He/she says this way: "In occupation of 16 of the current the commandant of the outposts warns me, for the one on the way to the Hills captain Don Apolinario of Saravia that the 4 of the same one the enemy arrived to the one Taken a bath with all the force that had in it Jumps, advancing his departures until the Door of Díaz, without a doubt in order to extracting mules, according to the warnings that he had received previously. The peasantry is so determined in to harass the enemy and to impede them the extraction of livestocks that the same Saravia that the expedition that undertook colonel Castro previously to the control of 400 men advanced until Guachipas could not take out assured more livestock that the one that went protected of all its force, because the rural patriots that among the forests they pursued, they destroyed and they drove away how many departures they sent to pick up them. I can assure to V.E. San Martin -adds - that they are only making the enemy such a terrible war of resources that you/they have put it in the necessity of dispatching another division of 300 men with the only object of protecting the extraction of mules and bovine livestock" (The Gazette, Buenos Aires, April 10 of 1814). 

Colonel Castro was detained in it Jumps for the departures of rural d and Door of Díaz and Guachipas, when the general Güemes arrived with its hosts, beginning this way the terrible well-known fight in our history for the war gaucho". that is to say that, thanks to the opportune defensive effort that was sustained from the valley of the Guachipas, it was saved the revolutionary movement of a contrast that could have had serious consequences. 
Starting from then, the participation of the contingents of Door of Díaz and Guachipas were permanent, being formed the famous Squadron of Guachipas", of outstanding performance in the war gaucho. 
 
Hardly a town 
 
Meanwhile, the property of the property Door of Díaz had passed at the hands of Francisco Javier of Figueroa, beginning the progressive division that he/she will prepare the existence of a future progressive town then. At the end of 1857 the bishop of Tucumán, José Eusebio Colombres, believe the rectory of The Vineyard of Guachipas, separating it of that of Guachipas. One year later, in November of 1858, the General Representation of the County transforms the rectory into department of the same name. 

Years later in 1878, Door of Díaz was declared capital of the department of The Vineyard of Guachipas", in recognition to the populational nucleus that had concentrated. For then he/she already had a temple and parochial house, and place private room for the municipal house, it would forfeit, school and jail. But in 1892 he/she stopped to have that category, the one that passed to the town of The Vineyard.  

In 1907 the station of railroad Colonel Moldes was inaugurated. As it happened of railroad with other towns of the County, Door of Díaz lost its name and it became known by that of its station. 
 
Felipe's step Beaches her 
 
In 1867 people coming from the Valles Calchaquíes, muleteers, puesteros, or simple travelers arrived one day to the poblao with fears and news that dangerous aprestos of armed people in a non certain number came from distant places advancing from the limits with Catamarca, with plans of going until the same city of it Jumps. They had seen them in their camps in the vallisto of Tacuil, where the troop had stopped to vivaquear. 

Again the Door opened up to see them happen. They were Felipe's montoneros Beaches her in route to the Valley of Lerma, with their capital city and towns bordering. The preceded montonera of distressing fears came for the defenseless residents of the small town. 

And here, the small history transmitted by an old man and old servant of the house of Messonez, only that offered some security for their residents. Gallant Pascuale still remembered in its age what saw of girl. The house of Messonez waited to the prepared montonera of weapons and provision, with the whole laborer in foot of war. When like it was feared, Felipe Beaches her and the bosses stopped to rest in the external gallery they stopped to rest in the external gallery, from inside it salted some that another shot like to make know that they were watchful. The montoneros responded the fire, of what you/they are still marks in the house, but it didn't pass great thing because the objective was to arrive to it Jumps. 

The typical organization of the towns of the Colony consisted on a main street to whose sides joined the most important houses with a structure edilicia that is still conserved in some of them. The streets aledañas was occupied by the poorest residents who built their precarious adobe houses and straw roofs. This main street continued the one on the way to access to the town. 
In the houses, the front gallery of quebracho pillars or of adobe that they looked to the street, it served from access to the housing. You weigh locust doors with ironworks manufactured in I populate him, enormous keys and locks of " hooks ", thresholds and quebracho lintels that today still conserves the prints of the footfalls of centuries. 

The interior of the housings remembers the construction type that you still leave in some mountain towns of Spain: central patio, galleries with roofs of tiles in two or three fronts of the patio, the surrounded rooms the patio of identical structure with materials of the region. There it was the enormous " sideburn " kitchen with bell, where it burned the firewood fire permanently. The rooms of the servitude always numerous and, in the main wing, the dining room, salts and the proprietors' bedrooms.