Mysteria
Verified20.2800° S · 68.8680° W · 3820 m

Salar de Huasco Northwest Horst Geoglyphs (Horst Ridge Figures)

Huasco Noroeste Horst · Collacagua Ridge Lines

Formative (800 BCE–600 CE)·Tarapacá / Alto Ramírez·🇨🇱 Tarapacá Region, Pica Province, Salar de Huasco Northwest Horst, Chile

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About

About Salar de Huasco Northwest Horst Geoglyphs (Horst Ridge Figures)

Horst-block ridge (3,820 m) 2.2 km northwest of Salar de Huasco on uplifted fault block with shattered ignimbrite and quartzite pavement. Ten figures: 22-m anthropomorph with rayed headdress, 35-m geometric spiral-corridor and 12–20 m avian silhouettes. Paved ‘processional’ trapezoid (42 x 18 m) with stone-bordered causeway. 2020 UTA survey reports intact desert varnish contrast (LRV 12 vs 58) and lichen-free cleared floors; halite crust minimal on horst, affording sharper edges than bajada. Associated Tarapacá Brown Plain sherds.

Why it mattersKey geoglyph illustrating Tarapacá / Alto Ramírez hydraulic/geoglyph/kite/kurgan tradition in Tarapacá Region, Pica Province, Salar de Huasco Northwest Horst.

Open questions

Mysteries & theories

Mysteries

  1. 01Rayed headdress iconography link to Wankarani?

Theories

  1. 01Horst as viewing platform for salar rituals

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.800 BCE–600 CE
Period
Formative (800 BCE–600 CE)
Culture
Tarapacá / Alto Ramírez
Builders
Tarapacá
Purpose
Horst-top ritual figures overlooking salar basin
Excavation
Partially excavated

  1. c.800 BCE–600 CE

    Initial construction

  2. 2020

    Drone/UAV high-resolution mapping and heritage inventory

On the ground

Structures & features

20.2800° S · 68.8680° W · 3820 m · 4 mapped features

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