Alto Ramírez Quebrada Lima Geoglyphs (Lluta Tributary Terrace)
Quebrada Lima Panels · Lluta Lima Geoglyphs
Formative (500 BCE–600 CE)·Alto Ramírez / Cabuza·🇨🇱 Arica y Parinacota, Lluta Valley, Quebrada Lima tributary confluence (km 68), Chile
About
About Alto Ramírez Quebrada Lima Geoglyphs (Lluta Tributary Terrace)
Terraced alluvial cone at Quebrada Lima mouth into Lluta at km 68 (1,050 m), 5° north-facing slope with 12 figures: 25-m lizards, 18-m camelid files and 40-m graded avenues with lateral berms (40 cm). Briones & Standen 1999 type-site affinity: Alto Ramírez textile-pattern geometric. Panel 3 shows 7 camelids with loads + drover, mirroring Lluta–Azapa caravan iconography. Cabuza ceramics in oases below. Colluvial stone mulch protects varnish; slope 7° affords valley-bottom visibility.
Why it mattersKey geoglyph illustrating Alto Ramírez / Cabuza hydraulic/geoglyph/kite/kurgan tradition in Arica y Parinacota, Lluta Valley, Quebrada Lima tributary confluence (km 68).
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Lizard iconography vs coastal lizard geoglyphs
Theories
- 01Tributary marker for Lluta trunk route
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.500 BCE–600 CE
- Period
- Formative (500 BCE–600 CE)
- Culture
- Alto Ramírez / Cabuza
- Builders
- Alto Ramírez
- Purpose
- Tributary terrace markers on Lluta caravan route
- Excavation
- Partially excavated
c.500 BCE–600 CE
Initial construction
2020
Drone/UAV high-resolution mapping and heritage inventory
On the ground
Structures & features
18.4050° S · 69.9100° W · 1050 m · 4 mapped features
Lima Lizard Pair (25 m)
geoglyph25-m lizard pair on terrace
18.4040° S · 69.9080° WCamelid File with Drover (18 m)
geoglyph18-m camelid caravan with human
18.4060° S · 69.9110° WGraded Avenue (40 m)
earthwork40-m graded avenue with berms
18.4050° S · 69.9120° WGeometric Panel Alto Ramírez Textile
geoglyphTextile-pattern geometric panel
18.4030° S · 69.9090° W