IQUIQUE, CHILE

Iquique (Spanish pronunciation: [iˈkike]) is a port city and commune in northern Chile, capital of both the Iquique Province and Tarapacá Region. It lies on the Pacific coast, west of the Pampa del Tamarugal, which is part of the Atacama Desert. It had a population of 191,468 according to the 2017 census; an additional ~100,000 live in a growing town on top of the hills to the east. It is also the main commune of Greater Iquique. The city developed during the heyday of the saltpeter mining in the Atacama Desert in the 19th century. Once a Peruvian city with a large Chilean population, it was conquered by Chile in the War of the Pacific ** (1879–1883). Today it is one of only two free ports of Chile, the other one being Punta Arenas, in the country's far south.

[** The Naval campaign of the War of the Pacific or Saltpeter war was a naval campaign that took place from 1879 to 1884 involving Peru (as well as Bolivia), and Chile undertaken in order to support land forces in the Atacama Desert ##. Due to the rough terrain and few transport methods it was imperative to have control of the ports in order to have a good supply source in the region. It resulted in a successful campaign by Chile, and the success of their land campaigns leading to the loss of Boliva's access to the ocean.]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific_War

{## The Atacama Desert (Spanish: Desierto de Atacama) is a desert plateau in South America covering a 600-mile strip of land on the Pacific coast, west of the Andes mountains. The Atacama desert is one of the driest places in the world (the driest being some very specific spots within the McMurdo Dry Valleys), as well as the only true desert to receive less precipitation than the polar deserts. According to estimates, the Atacama Desert occupies 41,000 square miles, or 49,000 square miles if the barren lower slopes of the Andes are included. Most of the desert is composed of stony terrain, salt lakes (salares), sand, and felsic lava that flows towards the Andes.

The desert owes its extreme aridity to a constant temperature inversion due to the cool north-flowing Humboldt ocean current, and to the presence of the strong Pacific anticyclone. The most arid region of the Atacama desert is situated between two mountain chains (the Andes and the Chilean Coast Range) of sufficient height to prevent moisture advection from either the Pacific or the Atlantic Oceans, a two-sided rain shadow.}

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atacama_Desert

Although the city was founded in the 16th century, there is evidence of habitation in the area by the Chango people as early as 7,000 BC. During colonial times, Iquique was part of the Viceroyalty of Peru as much of South America was at the time, and remained part of Peruvian territory until the end of the 19th century. Iquique's early development was due in large part to the discovery of mineral riches, particularly the presence of large deposits of sodium nitrate in the Atacama Desert (then part of Peruvian territory).

In July 1835, Charles Darwin, during his voyage on the Beagle, traveled to Iquique and described it as a town "very much in want of everyday necessities, such as water and firewood." These necessities had to be brought in from considerable distances. Darwin also visited the saltpeter works.

The city has been devastated by several earthquakes, including the 1868 Arica earthquake, the 1877 Iquique earthquake, and the 2005 Tarapacá earthquake. The 2014 Iquique earthquake occurred with a moment magnitude of 8.2 on April 1, 2014.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iquique

One of Chile’s premier beach resorts, Iquique enjoys a scenic local between the Pacific Ocean and the Pampa del Tamarugal, a vast plateau within the Atacama Desert. This bustling city on a turquoise bay was once part of Peru and grew prosperous from saltpeter mining, a form of potassium nitrate. It was ceded to Chile in 1883 after the War of the Pacific. Today, Iquique boasts many architectural treasures around its central Arturo Prat Square, from the stately Municipal Theater and the elegant Casino Espanol to a Gothic and Moorish style Clock Tower. The city’s well preserved Georgian style homes are a picturesque legacy from the 19^th century mining boom.

The primary source of income is from copper mining and agriculture; tourism is increasing and becoming an important segment.

Our excursion today took us east of Iquique about 30 miles to a deserted mining town and hills with ancient geoglyphs on the hillsides. More explanations are below.

On our way; replica of historical triple mast ship.

Pedestrian street.

These markers are spaced so drivers can count how many ahead the can see to indicate how fast they should travel when frequent fogs are present. Three triangles: 60 KPH (35 MPH). Two triangles: 30 KPH (20 MPH). One triangle: Single digits or get off highway.

Our first view of the Pan American Highway (5).
Begins in southern Argentina (Ushuaia) to Purdue Bay, Alaska.

The Pan-American Highway is a network of roads stretching across the American continents and measuring about 19,000 miles in total length. Except for a rain forest break of approximately 70 miles, called the Darién Gap, the roads link almost all of the Pacific coastal countries of the America in a connected highway system. According to Guinness World Records, the Pan-American Highway is the world's longest "motorable road." However, because of the Darién Gap, it is not possible to cross between South America and Central America with conventional highway vehicles. Without an all-terrain vehicle, it is necessary to safely circumnavigate this terrestrial stretch by sea.

The Pan-American Highway passes through many diverse climates and ecological types – ranging from dense jungles to arid deserts and barren tundra – some of which are only fully passable only during the dry season, and in many regions driving is occasionally hazardous. The Pan-American Highway system is physically mostly complete and extends in de facto terms from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, in North America to the lower reaches of South America. Several southern highway termini are claimed to exist, including the cities of Puerto Montt and Quellon in Chile and Ushuaia in Argentina. West and north of the Darién Gap, it is also known as the Inter-American Highway through Central America and Mexico where it splits into several spurs leading to the Mexico–US border.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pan-American_Highway

Humberstone & Cerro Pintados Geoglyphs

We explored the history and heritage of the world’s driest desert, the Atacama. We embarked our coach for a scenic drive across the Chilean Coastal Range and into the Pampa region of the great Atacama Desert. This desolate landscape became a conflict zone during the 19th century as three South American nations—Peru, Bolivia, and Chile—fought over its resources. We stopped in Humberstone, an abandoned mining town and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Here, we learned about the all important nitrate industry and the communal Pampino culture. The dry, desert climate has preserved the ghost-like town and we saw the workers quarters, the factory plant, and the railway. Next, we drove toward the Pampa del Tamarugal National Reserve. We saw the Cerro Pintados geoglyphs—monumental drawings of animals, people, and geometric symbols that have been carved into the surrounding hillsides. We admired the ingenuity of the bygone indigenous cultures that thrived in these difficult conditions.

Humberstone and Santa Laura Saltpeter Works are two former saltpeter refineries located in northern Chile. They were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2005. Humberstone and Santa Laura are located 30 miles east of the city of Iquique in the Atacama Desert in the Tarapacá Region in northern Chile. Other saltpeter works or "nitrate towns" include Chacabuco, Maria Elena, Pedro de Valdivia, Puelma and Aguas Santas among many others. Chacabuco is a special case since it was also used as a concentration camp during Pinochet's regime, and remains surrounded by lost landmines.

In 1872, the Guillermo Wendell Nitrate Extraction Company founded the saltpeter works of Santa Laura, while the region was still a part of Peru. In the same year, James Thomas Humberstone founded the "Peru Nitrate Company," establishing the works of "La Palma." Both works grew quickly, becoming busy towns characterized by English-style buildings.

While La Palma became one of the largest saltpeter extractors of the whole region, Santa Laura did not do well, as production was low. It was taken over in 1902 by the Tamarugal Nitrate Company. In 1913 Santa Laura halted its production until the Shanks extraction process was introduced, which enhanced productivity.

However the economic model collapsed during the Great Depression of 1929 because of the development of the synthesis of ammonia by the Germans Fritz Haber and Carl Bosch, which led to the industrial production of fertilizers. Practically bankrupt, both works were acquired by COSATAN (Compañía Salitrera de Tarapacá y Antofagasta) in 1934. COSATAN renamed La Palma into "Oficina Santiago Humberstone" in honor of its founder. The company tried to produce a competitive natural saltpeter by modernizing Humberstone, which led to its becoming the most successful saltpeter works in 1940.

Both works were abandoned in 1960 after the rapid decline that caused COSATAN to disappear in 1958. In 1970, after becoming ghost towns, they were declared national monuments and opened to tourism. In 2005 they were declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humberstone_and_Santa_Laura_Saltpeter_Works

Inside liquor store.

Train to move ore to Iquique for shipping and move personnel.

Church.

Notice the hour symbols.

Fresh water system with family laundry area.

The Santa María School massacre was a massacre of striking workers, mostly saltpeter works (nitrate) miners, along with wives and children, committed by the Chilean Army in Iquique, Chile on December 21, 1907. The number of victims is undetermined but is estimated by various sources at between 2,000 and 3,600. It occurred during the peak of the nitrate mining era, which coincided with the Parliamentary Period in Chilean political history (1891–1925). With the massacre and an ensuing reign of terror, not only was the strike broken, but the workers' movement was thrown into limbo for over a decade. For decades afterward there was official suppression of knowledge of the incident, but in 2007 the government conducted a highly publicized commemoration of its centenary, including an official national day of mourning and the re-interment of the victims' remains.

The site of the massacre was the Domingo Santa María School, where thousands of miners from different nitrate mines in Chile's far north had been camping for a week after converging on Iquique, the regional capital, to appeal for government intervention to improve their living and working conditions. Rafael Sotomayor Gaete, the minister of the interior, decided to crush the strike, by army assault if need be. On December 21, 1907, the commander of the troops at the scene, General Roberto Silva Renard, in accordance with this plan, informed the strikers' leaders that the strikers had one hour to disband or be fired upon. When the time was up and the leaders and the multitude stood firm, General Silva Renard gave his troops the order to fire. An initial volley that felled the negotiators was followed by a hail of rifle and machine gun fire aimed at the multitude of strikers and their accompanying wives and children.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Mar%C3%ADa_School_massacre

Bachelor housing.

Hotel with rooms for four visitors.

Hotel kitchen.

Swim pool in middle of extremely dry desert.

Theater.

Orchestra pit.

Projection booth in center.

Theater ceiling.

Country store (at peak, there were 3,500 employees).

Bakery.

The barren wastes of the Atacama Desert in northern Chile are scattered with hidden surprises. We’d already had our eyes opened at Humberstone and Pica, but there is no greater wonder to be found in the Atacama than the hauntingly mysterious geoglyphs at Cerro Pintados – the largest single collection of geoglyphs anywhere in Latin America.

Driving through the post-apocolyptic landscape en route to Cerro Pintados it seems improbable that there is anything of interest at the end of the dirt road. Perhaps the desiccated corpses of other foolish travellers who made the mistake of wandering off the beaten track, but giant pre-Hispanic artworks wouldn’t top the list of possibilities.

The landscape of the Atacama Desert surrounding the Cerro Pintados geoglyphs, Chile

The geoglyphs are both pre-Hispanic and pre-Inca, testimony to the fact that there were cultures thriving in these harsh desert conditions long before any form of written history could record their civilization. Like the culture behind the more famous Nascar lines in southern Peru, very little is known about the peoples who made the geoglyphs, making it hard to interpret what they represent or when they were made.

Geoglyphs at the Cerro Pintados, Atacama Desert, Chile

The geoglyphs are spread out over several hills, and as you walk down the track dozens more geoglyphs reveal themselves. Its like being in a vast open-air art gallery – albeit one where comfortable seats from which to muse over the artworks are replaced by a searingly hot sun without a single scrap of shade to protect you. The geoglyphs depict a wide range of different images: some, like llamas, birds, people and lizards, are easy to identify; others are fairly abstract ‘creatures’ or geometric designs of squares, circles and lines dotted into the hillside.

Geoglyphs at the Cerro Pintados, Atacama Desert, Chile

The purpose of the geoglyphs is open to interpretation. Some have speculated that they are ‘signposts’ pointing weary herders of llama trains from across the Andes to human settlements or to the ocean; others believe they have religious or ritualistic meaning and may be instructive ‘stories,’ literally writ large; others have argued that because you can only see them in their full glory from a distance or from above that they are messages for the gods or aliens. No one seems willing to acknowledge that they could be graffiti.

The dates of the geoglyphs are equally murky, with a timeframe running from 1450 BC to 500 AD. Whatever their origins and purpose, this is public art on a grand scale and it is believed that they form some of the only surviving evidence of agriculture-based civilisations that colonised this region several thousand years ago.

Geoglyphs at the Cerro Pintados, Atacama Desert, Chile

While the Cerro Pintados geoglyphs are better know than most, the Atacama Desert is home to numerous other geoglyph sites. We passed two others a short distance off the Ruta 5 highway, but the best known of all geoglyphs is the ‘Atacama Giant,’ literally a giant geoglyph representing a human form.

Geoglyphs at the Cerro Pintados, Atacama Desert, Chile

These last two photos come from different geoglyph sites. I’m pretty sure the doner kebab was invented somewhere between Turkey and Greece, but there is a very suspicious looking geoglyph in the final photo that looks like an early doner kebab prototype.