The total population of Catamarca, according to the last census of 1991, is 264,234 inhabitants. It represents the 0.8 % of the whole population of the country. The percentage of men and women is even. The birthrate and the fecundity have decreased in the last decade to - 7.9 % and -1.0%. The education level is 4.5 %, it is above the average of 3.7 % of the country. Catamarca does not have large urban centers. Most of the towns are linked through a net of roads, which are national and provincial, However, there are some group of houses or even isolated houses in far away areas, which are difficult to reach. The only access is by means of hoses or mules. Except for the urban areas, the houses are poor, many of them are made of bricks with roofs of straw or metal sheets.

The aboriginal past and the Spanish customs are reflected in the culture of Catamarca, its weavings, crafts and the work of the writers and artists. The early inhabitants of the region, found a land which offered large forests and a fauna which allowed them to survive as hunters and collectors. These groups belonged to the pre-ceramic period from the 12,000 to the 7,000. In the highs, not provided with forests, having a harsh climate; the Puna and the alto andino, the first animals were tamed, in order to supply food. These groups hunted guanacos and vicuñas. They used the flesh, the skin and the grease. Gradually, they became shepherds. As the guanacos were tamed, the llamas appeared. The vicuña did not tame. Around the year 3,000 BC the first stable and sedentary settlements took place. The agricultural and crafty period started. In the Vi century, the groups of the high lands arrived, they were related to the Tihuanaco empire. They had agricultural and irrigation knowledge, this period is known as the water period.

Later, in the IX century, new comers arrived from the Amazons. They cultivated the land, using an advanced technique. The pick up of carob increased. They produced alcohol and other products from the carob. Great herds of llamas were produced too. They got wool from them. The Santa María, Belén and Hualfin cultures sprang. When the Incas arrived in the territory, the groups unified and became part of the imperial administration. A vast net of roads, cities, and forts were built. Pottery centers were created. The miner work increased as well as the bronze work. The Spanish met them when they were expanding. In the second half of the XIX century, the province was ready to develop its own culture. It was pioneer in the journalistic activities. The first newspaper of the province was the Ambato, whose initiator was Eusebio Ruzzo, then followed by Ramon Bravo with the Centinela del Norte, in 1861. Jose Reydo with the Ley in 1897, Manuel Ponferrada with the Dia in 1912 and Luis Alberto Ahumada with the Progreso in 1924.

In 1875, Federico de Espeche published the Provincia de Catamarca. Other writers followed him like: Samuel Lafone Quevedo Londres y Catamarca, Soria with Fechas Catamarqueñas, Libros Capitulares and an Elementary coursebook of the history of Catamarca, Quiroga with Calchaquí and the Calchaqui Tradition. Juan Jose Carrizo compiled five volumes of songs from the north of Argentina, one of them was devoted to Catamarca. As novelist the most outstanding was Carlos A. Quiroga author of the Suffering Race. Among the social novels the work of Julio Sanchez Gardel: The Sunflowers and The Witches' Mountain are the most remarkable. There are many poets from Catamarca, among them Luis Franco with his La Flauta de Caña, Los Trabajos y Los Dias and Juan Oscar Ponferrada with The devil's Carnival. Ezequiel Soria, the poet and writer of farces, one of the founders of the national theater, carried out the innovations of the music of the province, when he introduced the musical comedy. In this century, artists such as Pedro Ignacio Acuña, Manuel Acosta Villafañe , Polo Jimenez (author of the song Paisaje de Catamarca) and Arturo Sosa Mercado.

The province of Catamarca is well known for its legends and mysteries which were inherited from the old aboriginal cultures, among the most popular are:

The Sachayoj
It is a superstition known in the district of La Paz. It is said that when there are storms, the owner of the hill and the honeycombs, the Sachayoj, tries to avoid his honey to be stolen.

The Dwarf
The devil is also called Man with a Hat or Huamanpailita. He is short, with a big hat, an iron hand and the other made of wool, he hits with the former, while he caresses with the latter. At the siesta, mainly in the summer time, he surprises the lads stealing fruit. When they are close to him, he frightens them or hits there with the woolen hand, which hurts more than the iron one. He falls in love easily, when he goes out at night , it is a sign that he is in love with a young girl.

The Mother of Water
A legend says, she was a beautiful woman, her body was transparent like a cloud, becoming visible on the passes or the top of the hills. She was accompanied by a corzuela (kind of little deer) on which she rode on the hills. One day, she flew into the air leaving the deer alone. A hunter struck it with an arrow in the middle of its heart. It was badly hurt, it struck into a rock. The woman , the mother of water, cried bitterly day and night. Her eyes became fountains from where rivers sprang, her pretty hair became torrents which washed the blood of the deer and its body turned into a transparent spring.

Mother of the Dead water
To avoid children from throwing stones into the wells of water, they are told that a malignant ghost lives at the bottom of the wells of the dead waters and burst in anger when somebody bothers him. Others say that she is a beautiful woman, who is always combing her hair, looking into the water. When somebody attempts to swim in the dead waters, she sinks him for ever.

The Salamancas of Catamarcas
It is said that in the north, there is a very deep hole with a front door. It is possible to open it naked. A black crow guides the visitor, only if he fulfills the requirements, such as drinking blood of a wild boar or urine of a frog. After a few steps a huge snake twists round the feet, the body and the head of the visitor. If the person is a heretic but he has not denied his faith completely, the teeth of the snake will kill him at once. If he has really renegaded from his faith, the snake untwists. Later, he will meet men and women who are dancing at the tune of a delightful music. Then , there are gardens which are full of flowers, colored birds and temptations which are impossible to resist. In other places, there are salamancas, where witchcraft is learnt. Inside and after some other tests, such as climbing a tree which is shaken by a rough storm or riding a mad goat, the apprentices start to learn the arts. The devil may tell the witches to through themselves into a well, where they must swim day and night, while he tries to sink them with a poplar stick. When it is the full moon, he settles into the sky and it coincides with the opening of the well, that is the turning point. The apprentices who are still floating, become witches as the Devil wants, if they get out of the well they do as many bad things as they can.

The Mountain of the Diaguita Soul
It is said that on the slopes of the volcano Ojos del Salado, there is a huge ore mine of gold which was exploited by the Incas. When the Spanish oppressed them, the Diaguitas rebelled against the conquerors, so they were exterminated. In retaliation the colossus of the Andes was furious and trembles when somebody wants to touch him. He became the guardian of the Incas and the Diaguitas. He waits for the freedom of the Indians. Those who dare to pick gold from the place died chased by the white wind and the snow storms.