Salar del Sur Southwest Bajada Geoglyphs (Bajada del Sur)
SW Bajada Lines · Salar del Sur SW Figures
Formative (600 BCE–800 CE)·Tarapacá–Atacama·🇨🇱 Antofagasta, Sierra Gorda, Salar del Sur SW bajada toward Pampa del Tamarugal, Chile
About
About Salar del Sur Southwest Bajada Geoglyphs (Bajada del Sur)
Southwest bajada descending from Salar del Sur margin toward Pampa del Tamarugal corridor (2,280 m). Fifteen figures: 100-m main avenue (3.0 m wide, berm-walled) with 5 lateral 25-m rhomboids and 18-m ‘anchor’ motif. Main avenue aligns 242° to Sierra Gorda pass. Berm walls 30 cm high with patinated clasts; avenue floor packed and gypsum-veined. 2023 CNR drone shows continuation beyond salar playa — longest Salar del Sur avenue system.
Why it mattersKey geoglyph illustrating Tarapacá–Atacama hydraulic/geoglyph/kite/kurgan tradition in Antofagasta, Sierra Gorda, Salar del Sur SW bajada toward Pampa del Tamarugal.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Anchor motif maritime vs caravan
Theories
- 01Salar del Sur–Pampa transversal
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.600 BCE–800 CE
- Period
- Formative (600 BCE–800 CE)
- Culture
- Tarapacá–Atacama
- Purpose
- Southwest bajada avenue system toward Pampa
- Excavation
- Partially excavated
c.600 BCE–800 CE
Initial construction
2020
Drone/UAV high-resolution mapping and heritage inventory
On the ground
Structures & features
23.0800° S · 69.0200° W · 2280 m · 4 mapped features
- Southwest Main Avenue (100 m)earthwork100-m berm-walled avenue23.0790° S · 69.0190° W
- Lateral Rhomboids (25 m)geoglyph25-m rhomboid laterals23.0820° S · 69.0180° W
- Anchor Motif (18 m)geoglyph18-m anchor figure23.0780° S · 69.0220° W
- Pass Alignment CairnearthworkCairn marking 242° alignment23.0790° S · 69.0210° W