Cerro Unita South Geoglyph Extension (Gigante S Sur)
Geoglifos Cerro Unita Sur · Atacama Giant South Field · Pampa Tamarugal South Lines
Late Intermediate (Tarapacá)·Tarapacá interior oasis people·🇨🇱 Tarapacá Region, Pozo Almonte Commune, Cerro Unita south slope, Chile
About
About Cerro Unita South Geoglyph Extension (Gigante S Sur)
0 km south-southwest of the 119-m Atacama Giant—world's largest anthropomorphic geoglyph—on the same ignimbrite ridge crest (Tarapacá). 19 additional figures on the south spur ridge: 12-28 m camelids, 18 m lizard, 10 m raptor, and 45-110 m linear avenues that frame viewshed to Salar de Huasco (28 km E). While the Giant is subtractive on upper ridge, south extension uses mixed additive-subtractive (white salt crust stones on red ignimbrite). Associated with Pintados salar margin geoglyphs 6 km north.
Briones noted south extension as later (1200-1400 CE) Tarapacá elite addition to earlier Formative giant. Ceramics: Tarapacá Café Alisado + Inca Cuzco Polychrome at hill base offering conc.
Why it mattersDirect annex to world's largest geoglyph; shows diachronic hill-figure accretion.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01South extension dating relative to Giant main figure
Theories
- 01Inca reuse vs Tarapacá original authorship
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c.1000-1400 CE (Giant itself 1000-1400; south extension 1200-1400)
- Period
- Late Intermediate (Tarapacá)
- Culture
- Tarapacá interior oasis people
- Builders
- Tarapacá caravan elite
- Purpose
- Ritual complement to Atacama Giant and salar-view alignment
- Abandoned
- c.1450 CE
- Rediscovered
- 1970s NASA aerial; 1984 Briones Giant monograph; 2016 Pampa Tamarugal survey
- Excavation
- Partially excavated
1972
NASA Landsat first registers Giant
1984
Briones measures Giant 119 m; maps south spur 19 figures
2016
CONAF Pampa Tamarugal drone coverage
On the ground
Structures & features
19.9520° S · 69.6350° W · 1050 m · 2 mapped features
Cerro Unita South Lizard
geoglyph18-m lizard figure on south ridge varnish
19.9510° S · 69.6360° WCerro Unita South Arrow Avenue
earthwork96-m avenue pointing to Salar de Huasco
19.9540° S · 69.6340° W
Gallery