Salar de Huasco South Fan Geoglyphs (Southern Alluvial Fan)
Huasco Sur Geoglyphs · Southern Huasco Fan Lines
Late Archaic to Formative (Tarapacá)·Alta Ramírez–Tarapacá caravan·🇨🇱 Tarapacá Region, Pica Province, Altiplano (Ramsar Salar de Huasco South), Chile
About
About Salar de Huasco South Fan Geoglyphs (Southern Alluvial Fan)
Southern-basin extension of the Huasco salt-flat geoglyph field on the 3–5° fossil fan descending from Cerro Huailla to the Ramsar lagoon edge (3,815 m). Documents 18+ figures on ignimbrite pavement: 14–28 m paired camelids, 65 m trapezoidal avenue and 3.2 m cairn circles with pale gypsiferous substrate exposed by subtractive clearing and lateral stone discard. UTA 2019–2022 drone mapping links south fan to Late Archaic–Formative caravan system (1000 BCE–600 CE) via Tarapacá-style sherds and apacheta offering pits at avenue terminus. South fan exhibits finer line preservation than north fan due to wind-shadow lee of Huailla ridge. Threatened by boron exploration tracks.
Why it mattersSouthernmost altiplano caravan geoglyph sector linking Huasco to Llamara transect.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Function of paired camelids as caravan tally vs totem
Theories
- 01Wayfinding + apacheta ritual
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 BCE – 600 CE
- Period
- Late Archaic to Formative (Tarapacá)
- Culture
- Alta Ramírez–Tarapacá caravan
- Builders
- Altiplano–coastal caravaneers
- Purpose
- Caravan route marking and apacheta offering on Huasco–Pica transect
- Abandoned
- c.700 CE
- Rediscovered
- 2019 UTA drone survey; 2022 south fan extension mapping
- Excavation
- Partially excavated
1000 BCE
Earliest paired camelid rows
2022
UTA maps south fan 18 figures
On the ground
Structures & features
20.3580° S · 68.8620° W · 3815 m · 2 mapped features
South Fan Paired Camelids
geoglyph14–28 m double llama row on mid-fan pavement
20.3550° S · 68.8600° WHuailla Trapezoidal Avenue
earthwork65-m avenue from fan apex to salar edge, 2.4 m wide
20.3620° S · 68.8640° W
Gallery