Salar de Huasco Geoglyphs (Huasco Salt Flat Lines)
Huasco Basin Geoglyphs · Pampa del Tamarugal northern extension - Huasco
Late Archaic to Formative (Late Archaic–Alto Ramírez–Tarapacá)·Tarapacá caravan / Alto Ramírez·🇨🇱 Tarapacá Region, Pica Province, Altiplano, Chile
About
About Salar de Huasco Geoglyphs (Huasco Salt Flat Lines)
Cluster of 30+ cleared-pavement geoglyphs on fossil alluvial fans descending to the Ramsar Salar de Huasco (3,800 m) in the Chilean Altiplano. Figures include 12–35 m camelid rows, 40–90 m rectilinear avenues and 2–5 m cairn alignments on dark ignimbrite pavement contrasted to pale gypsiferous subsoil. University of Tarapacá drone survey (Briones & Núñez 2019) ties assemblage to Late Archaic–Formative caravan traffic (1000 BCE–600 CE) between coast and altiplano, with Alto Ramírez–style ceramics and llama caravan offering caches at the foot of the largest avenue.
Unlike coastal geoglyphs, high-altitude wind deflation and halite crust preserve edges; threatened by lithium-boron exploration tracks.
Why it mattersHighest-altitude Chilean geoglyph field, documenting altiplano–coast caravan cosmology.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Function of camelid rows as offering vs wayfinding
Theories
- 01Caravan apacheta analog
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 (Late Archaic–Alto Ramírez–Tarapacá)
- Culture
- Tarapacá caravan / Alto Ramírez
- Builders
- Altiplano–coastal caravan communities
- Purpose
- Caravan route marking and ritual offering locus on altiplano–coast transect
- Abandoned
- c.700 CE
- Rediscovered
- 2016–2019 UTA drone mapping
- Excavation
- Partially excavated
1000 BCE
Earliest camelid rows with Late Archaic points
2019
UTa drone maps 30+ figures
On the ground
Structures & features
20.3000° S · 68.8500° W · 3800 m · 2 mapped features
Northern Camelid Row
geoglyph22-m double llama row on upper fossil fan
20.2950° S · 68.8480° WCentral Rectilinear Avenue
earthwork88-m cleared avenue 2.2 m wide linking salar to pass
20.3050° S · 68.8520° W
Gallery