ATACAMA DESERT
Enchanting Atacama Desert with its innumerable geological wonders such as geysers, hot springs, salty basins and snow capped volcanoes, as well as rich flora and fauna, makes it one of South America’s star destinations. It is also full or archeological and cultural wealth, which stand as testimony of its magnificent past. From sunrise in the Tatio Geysers surrounded by jagged mountains and volcanic peaks to unparalleled sunsets reflecting golden light over salty lagoons full with Chilean Flamingoes, San Pedro will surely take your breath away.
It is estimated that the first settlements of people in the far north end of Chile arrived 11,000 years ago. These people chose the Andean plateau (puna) and the streams of the Atacama Desert to live. The Atacameños were the first founding people of the so-called San Pedro culture. They settled in the Loa River basin and in the oasis of the Atacama Desert. San Pedro was the main centre of the Atacameñan culture, with a defensive fortress in Quitor and a population distributed among 15 ayllos (socioeconomic grouping based on family ties) that divided the cultivable land and the water channeled from the Río Grande. Around the year 1450 they were conquered by the Incas, who established an administrative and governmental centre in Catarpe. But they definitely entered Hispanic history when Diego de Almagro and Francisco de Aguirre came in 1536 to prepare the arrival of the conquistador Pedro de Valdivia to the oasis in 1540, dominating the natives at the Quitor pukara (fortress).
Located 1670km north of Santiago in the II Region, San Pedro de Atacama has become one of the favorite places for Chilean and foreign tourists. It lays almost 2500mt above sea level in the north edge of the Atacama salt flat in the centre of the desert, in an area of great archaeological and touristic interest. Flanked by the Andes and the Domeyko Mountains, the lack of water, the volcanic activity and the presence of small and large salt flats create an unbelievable environment that offers various attractions to the visitor, such as the Moon Valley, the Tatio Geysers and the Flamingo National Reserve.
TYPICAL FLORA AND FAUNA OF THE ATACAMA DESERT
The aguadas are small emerging courses surrounded by small green spots. Sometimes water does not flow but only emerges. They are the desert’s blessing. When they grow, the fountains look like paradisiacal gardens, like Pica, Matilla or Esmeralda. Birds sing, turtledoves nest and humming birds chase each other. The desert’s rivers are also peaceful backwaters among the dryness, where the sight can rest upon the green miracle of irrigation, whether it is the dark alfalfa or the grey salt grass. Not only domestic animals come to drink here, but also the unsociable guanacos, foxes, owls, butterflies and wasps.
Because of the climate and the altitude of the Atacama Desert, you can find unique flora and fauna here that live in high altitude salt flats and wetlands. This also promotes the presence of tourists in the area, especially in the Flamingo National Reserve. The vastness of the flora allows us to observe plants such as the llareta, the paja brava and the cachiyuyo. Among the fauna we can name flamingos, vicuñas, culpeo foxes and the vizcacha.
THE ATACAMEÑOS
They are a small race and their height ranges from around 1.60mt for men and 1.45mt for women. Their habitat has not been clearly defined, as it covered zones from the south of Peru and the north of Chile, specially the Atacama Desert. Some isolated words have barely subsisted from their language, the cunza or kunza. This culture is mainly known by its archaeology.
The Atacameños lived in a hostile environment, due to the lack of fertile land and water. However, they were simultaneously farmers and stockbreeders, although they also practiced fishing and hunting to feed themselves. They weren’t common farmers, but ones of very high technique and efficiency. Some people say that the Incas were disciples of the Atacameños, although both could have obtained their skills from a common source in the altiplano.