In 1573 the small settlement of Cayastá, the original Santa Fe, was founded by Juan de Garay as a stopover on the way to Asunción in Paraguay. At its centre are the beautiful Plaza San Martín and the Iglesia de la Natividad de María Santisíma. And on the outskirts of town and well worth a visit is the Parque Arqueológico Santa Fe La Vieja, which exhibits the remains of the original village uncovered in 1949. They include over 70 buildings including the old Iglesia de San Francisco, the Iglesia de Santo Domingo and the Iglesia de la Merced. Also here is the modern Museo Fundacional Argentina which has displays of artifacts and recounts the town’s development.