Miculla Geoglyphs & Petroglyph Field (San Francisco de Miculla)
Petroglifos de Miculla · San Francisco de Miculla Petroglyphs · Miculla Desert Lines
Archaic to Middle Horizon (Tiwanaku–Wari interaction)·Tiwanaku–Huari interface / Tacna coastal–altiplano·🇵🇪 Tacna Region, Tacna Province, Pachía District, Caplina Desert, Peru
About
About Miculla Geoglyphs & Petroglyph Field (San Francisco de Miculla)
The largest petroglyph–geoglyph interface in Peru: >500 boulders with 1,500+ pecked petroglyphs transitioning into 40+ cleared lines on desert pavement of the Pampa de San Francisco de Miculla, 22 km NE of Tacna. The arid Caplina desert (1,200 m) preserves Tiwanaku–Huari (400–1000 CE) anthropomorphs, camelid caravans and masked shaman heads pecked on desert-varnished diorite, interlaced with 10–60 m additive geoglyphs forming a ceremonial caravan way to the highlands. Custodianship by the Museo de Sitio Miculla; excavated projectile points span Archaic (8000 BCE) to late pre-Hispanic, showing 9 millennia reuse. Only 4 ha fenced; 70% unfenced and quarried.
Why it mattersKey Tiwanaku–coast petroglyph-geoglyph bridge north of Atacama.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Shaman-mask icon
Theories
- 01Highland water-cult way
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- Primary geoglyph–petroglyph horizon c.400–1000 CE; points from 8000 BCE
- Period
- Archaic to Middle Horizon (Tiwanaku–Wari interaction)
- Culture
- Tiwanaku–Huari interface / Tacna coastal–altiplano
- Builders
- Caplina desert pastoral-agricultural communities
- Purpose
- Caravan shrine way and clan petroglyph gallery
- Abandoned
- c.1300 CE (post-Tiwanaku)
- Rediscovered
- 1960s E. Kuon Arce survey; 1984 Museo
- Excavation
- Partially excavated
8000 BCE
Archaic projectile points in desert
1960
Kuon Arce documents 500 boulders
On the ground
Structures & features
17.8710° S · 70.1076° W · 1250 m · 2 mapped features
Masked Shaman Boulder
petroglyph1.4-m diorite with rayed-mask shaman and camelids
17.8720° S · 70.1080° WDesert Line Avenue (40 m)
geoglyph40-m cleared avenue with varnished curb stones
17.8700° S · 70.1060° W