It is part of the Department of Chicoana. El Carril means "route", "track", "furrow", a road only for passing through, which in the XVIII century was the obligatory transit and communication route between the Calchaquí Valleys and the City of Salta.

It was a stationary stop for traders, artisans and potters, who came from Potosí, Peru, Tarija, Córdoba, Catamarca, Calchaquíes and Lerma Valleys, between February and March to Sumalao, where the great annual fair of Salta took place.

This commercial center allowed El Carril to be regularly visited by Spaniards and vallistos, Tucumanos and Riojanos, who, as artisans and producers of foodstuffs, came to Sumalao to sell their products. From its origins, El Carril was a town of spontaneous formation and not of Spanish foundation, as it can be deduced from the historical data.

Nearby is the place known as El Carril del Bañado or El Bañado, a place where significant actions took place during the War of Independence, such as those of October 10, 1812, June 11, 1814, and April 23, 1817.

Since the end of the XVIII century, when El Carril de Chicoana was regularly visited by traders and troperos who attended the fair of Sumalao, originating a town on the shores of the central route of the Lerma Valley, the following stages can be visualized: first stage of socioeconomic formation; a second stage of regional integration given the incorporation of the population in the War of Independence; a third stage of departmental integration and institutional development as a party of the Department of Chicoana in 1850; and a last and fourth stage of autonomy since 1880 when the village of El Carril requests the creation of a town with geographical and political delimitations.

Creation of the Municipality of El Carril

The Municipality of El Carril, created by Decree Nº 49 on February 22nd, 1912, since then it has been projected to all this area as one of the most thriving towns for its agro-industrial activity, and fundamentally for its inhabitants. During the last years, many families have settled and integrated the hard-working community of Carrileña.

Our Lady of Mercy Church of El Carril

The parish was created in 1960. The parish church has a Spanish colonial style. It is located in an area that has the characteristic of a summer village. Its patron saint is Our Lady of Mercy, whose feast is celebrated on September 24.

El Carril is a town in which the Christian faith is manifested. For many years it worked in the sample of handmade cribs, which was declared of municipal interest.

Town

Its old mansions are lined up along National Route Nº 68, while the recent constructions are nucleated in a new and modern layout, with paved streets. The railway station is called "Facundo de Zuviría" and is located at the edge of the town. To the west of this town there is an artificial lake called "San Francisco", which is fed by springs and rains during the summer.