Córdoba is Argentina's second city, a university town of about a million and a half people that has a faintly rebellious reputation. At its centre is the Manzana Jesuítica, the Jesuit Block, a group of buildings from the seventeenth century that includes the church of the Compañía, the old Jesuit college and the university, one of the oldest in the Americas, founded in 1613. The church has a remarkable wooden ceiling shaped like an upturned ship's hull, built by a Flemish Jesuit craftsman, with joinery that shows no nails.
The Jesuits made Córdoba the intellectual capital of colonial Argentina, with a library, printing press and school of theology, and they funded it by running a network of estancias in the surrounding hills. After their expulsion in 1767, the university continued under other orders and later became a secular institution. The 1918 University Reform movement, which began here, spread through Latin America and demanded student participation in university governance. The city is also known for the Cordobazo, a workers' and students' uprising in 1969.
The riding from Córdoba is excellent, with the Sierras Chicas to the north and the high Sierras Grandes to the west. Roads climb out of the city into hills of rock and thorn scrub, past small towns and reservoirs, and along the way you pass estancias at Jesús María and Alta Gracia. At Alta Gracia, the museum of Che Guevara's boyhood home is a popular stop. The weather is dry and sunny in winter, with cool nights, and stormy in summer. City traffic is heavy at rush hour, but the ring road gives quick access to the hills.
Córdoba has fuel stations, mechanics and a wide range of lodging. The student quarter, Nueva Córdoba, has lively cafes and bars. Try an alfajor, a sandwich biscuit with dulce de leche, from a local shop, and a glass of fernet and cola, the city's famous drink. Park the bike in a secure garage, and walk the Jesuit Block with a guide if you can.