Outings and excursions · Calama
Chiu Chiu and the Pukará of Lasana: history in the Loa oasis
Photos: Diego Delso / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
About 30 km from Calama, a 17th-century adobe church and a pre-Hispanic fortress above the Loa river.
About 30 km north-east of Calama, on Route 21, the Loa river oasis holds two of the most interesting historic sites in the Atacama Desert.
San Francisco de Chiu Chiu
Its church of San Francisco, built around 1650, is one of the oldest in Chile. Made of stone and adobe, with a roof of cactus wood and mud, it is still the centre of the village's religious life. It has been a National Monument since 1951.
Pukará of Lasana
About 8 km north of Chiu Chiu, above the Loa canyon, stands the Pukará of Lasana, a 12th-century pre-Hispanic fortress with rooms, passages and stone walls. It has been a National Monument since 1982.
Tips
- A half-day trip from Calama is enough.
- Bring water, a hat and sunscreen.
- Do not climb on the fortress walls.
