Salar del Sur Este Avenues Geoglyphs (Eastern Approach Corridor)
Salar Sur Este Corridor · East Salar Avenues
Late Intermediate to Late Horizon (Inca)·Atacameño–Inca caravan·🇨🇱 Antofagasta Region, Sierra Gorda Precordillera, Salar del Sur East, Chile
About
About Salar del Sur Este Avenues Geoglyphs (Eastern Approach Corridor)
Eastern approach corridor 6 km east of Salar del Sur playa (2,510 m) where Precordillera alluvial fans meet deflation plain. Records 20 linear geoglyphs forming a 1.4 km converging avenue system: paired 55 m 'runway' lines 4.2 m apart narrowing to 1.2 m at playa-facing terminus, plus 14 m chevrons and 18 m camelids. Technique: double trench clearing with central stone alignment. Links Calama–Sierra Gorda caravan to Tulán highland pass; Topa-Inca sherds at terminus apacheta indicate 1400s reuse. Threatened by Antofagasta–Calama railway maintenance tracks.
Why it mattersOnly converging 'runway' geometry in Atacama geoglyph corpus; eastern salar gate.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Function of converging vs parallel geometry
Theories
- 01Funnel marking to salar brine ponds
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.900 – 1450 CE
- Period
- Late Intermediate to Late Horizon (Inca)
- Culture
- Atacameño–Inca caravan
- Builders
- Sierra Gorda caravaneers
- Purpose
- Converging avenue corridor marking east entry to salar salt source
- Abandoned
- c.1550 CE
- Rediscovered
- 2018 railway corridor survey; 2022 Sierra Gorda heritage mapping
- Excavation
- Partially excavated
900 CE
Initial paired corridors
1450 CE
Inca sherds at terminus apacheta
On the ground
Structures & features
23.8800° S · 69.0600° W · 2510 m · 2 mapped features
Eastern Paired Runways
earthworkDouble 55-m lines 4.2 m apart narrowing to 1.2 m
23.8780° S · 69.0580° WEste Chevron Field
geoglyph14-m chevron row flanking corridor entry
23.8820° S · 69.0620° W