Pukara de Quitor Ruins

Atacameño Warrior

After our longer-than-expected bike ride the day before, we decided to take it a bit easier the next day.  When we rented the bikes, we had initially been trying to get to some ruins that the owner of the store pointed us to (but of course, we're in Chile, so we were pointed in the wrong direction).  Luckily, we had since had time to find some of the landmarks on our map and figured out which direction to actually go.  We also figured out that the ruins were only 3 km away--we wouldn't even have to bike (our unaccustomed legs were a bit sore after our day one adventure)!

After another breakfast of toast and fruit, we slathered ourselves in sunscreen (something we had neglected the day before--notice the difference in skin shades between day 1 and later pictures), and headed into town to get some water.  Scott is very good at pretending he understands things, so when I sent him in to buy the water, I forgot that he couldn't read the labels.  Only after we started walking (and shaking up the bottles) did we realize that he had accidentally gotten carbonated water!  We both lost a good portion of it when we stopped for our first water break.  At least it was refreshing to get splashed in the face...

It was nice to have a relaxing, relatively flat walk over to the ruins.  We were also quite glad that we had decided not to rent bikes, because there were only two types of terrain on the path--deep sand and sticky mud.  Luckily, there were also lots of large rocks that made it easy to navigate these obstacles by foot.  It was also quite entertaining watching the tourists who did rent bikes try to get through.  I think we passed the same group of people two or three times--they'd pass us by on easy terrain but get caught up by sand or mud just long enough for us to catch up with them and continue the cycle.

As we walked, we talked about our plans for the future.  In case you haven't heard, Scott is on his way to England to teach middle/ high school for the next couple years.  I have 5 more months left on my contract here in Chile, and then I have no idea what I'm going to do!  I'm thinking of getting a "real" teaching degree (I just have TEFL right now), so I'm working on figuring out the prerequisites for that.  Of course, England has some of the most demanding requirements!  We also talked about wanting to one day start our own business.  Now we just have to figure out what kind of business.  Our ideas include art, education, and popcorn.  I think we should just roll them all into one.  Also, sheep.

Stampede!

Speaking of sheep, I forgot to include this awesome photo we took on our way back yesterday--there was a traffic jam on the road into town, and we couldn't figure out why (there really isn't a high population concentration in San Pedro, especially since it's the low season right now).  We wove our way through the buses and trucks stopped on the road and discovered the reason: Sheep/ goat stampede!  Followed by three large sheep dogs and one very tiny, very fluffy dog.  The fluffy one took his job very seriously and was quite aggressive when we got too close to his goats!

Anyways, after about a half and hour, we came to a large, forbidding hill that looked formidable even before we could see the fortress climbing its sides.  This one is called Pukara de Quitor, "pukara" being the indigenous word for "fort," and "Quitor" being the name of the closest village.  The ruins are not in the best shape (it doesn't look like much conservation/ restoration has been attempted), but even with just the skeleton of the the structures visible, one can imagine why the ancient Atacameños chose this site for its strategic location.  The site has a very long (and of course violent) history.  It was originally constructed in the 12th century by some of the original inhabitants of the Atacama desert (theories vary, but it is estimated that the Atacama desert was first inhabited by hunter-gatherers around 9000 B.C., and that permanent settlements began to arise around 1500 B.C.).

Though Chile was conquered by the Incas and then the Spaniards, this impressive fortress predates both.  It is perfectly located on a cliff next to the San Pedro river, making it the perfect location for the collection of essential resources.   The position of the fortress atop the cliff makes it nearly impregnable (until, of course, more sophisticated technology is introduced, but we'll get to that later).  The fort was built during a period of conflict between various indigenous groups in the region caused by a growth in population and lack of resources in the most arid place in the world.  New tools and technology had allowed the people to exploit areas which were previously undervalued, such as the cliff where the Pukara de Quitor was built.  It was originally built as a purely defensive structure by the San Pedro group of people to protect them in the conflict against the Tiwanaku people, but eventually was used as a place of settlement as well.

Pukara de Quitor Ruins

The site is deceptively large, and divided into different sections according to intended use.  The exposed side of the cliff near the river is the defensive area.  The structures on that side are irregular and seem to have no pattern to their arrangement.  Although we couldn't find any information about this at the site (or on the internet), we wondered if this may have been to confuse the enemy if he ever managed to get inside of the structure.  There were paths that seemed to go right into walls, or straight off the other side of the cliff.  This may be due to the age and damage of the ruins, but maybe it was also how the builders planned the structure--to tire out the enemy before they even came into combat?  I'd love to find out more information, but like I said, cannot find much more than basic information on the site.  If anyone knows more, I'd love to hear about it!

In the middle of the fortress are large storehouses and stables for supplies and animals.  The first animals were domesticated in the area around 1000 B.C.  Plants were also domesticated around this time, but there is not much evidence that the Atacameños grew anything in the fortress (considering it is built out of rocks, on top of a rock, this may have been quite difficult).  There is, however, evidence of cultivation closer to the river, giving more credence to the theory that the fortress also served as a permanent residence.  Other evidence that the site was used for residence is the presence of "houses" on the far side of the structure.  These "houses" are more like small apartments terraced right up the cliff.  Each has a relatively large living area (about the size of a large American bedroom), and a smaller room near the entrance that is believed to have been used for storage or cooking (perhaps both!).  As we walked through the ruins, I tried to imagine what it would have been like to live in this place, while Scott tried to imagine what it would have been like to fight there (a testament to our opposite personalities?).

The view of the San Pedro River from atop the fortress

The Atacama region, along with the Pukara fortress, was conquered by the Inca around 1450 A.D.  They never actually settled the area, but did insist on assimilating the cultures they conquered and using the structures built by them.  The fort was used on a few occasions by the Inca and their allies to fight off enemies in the area who were attempting to interfere with their new road network.  This is about as far south as the Incas reached, and they held the area for less than a century before they were themselves conquered by the Spaniards.  The Spanish decimated the indigenous population, leaving the fortress abandoned for centuries until it was declared a Chilean National Monument in 1982.  Like I said, I'm not sure how much research has been done about the site, as it has been difficult for me to find more information on it.  It is maintained and run by the people of the Quitor village, descendants of the original Atacameños trying to preserve their cultural history.

Behind the ruins is a trail that curves around the side of another hill, leading up to a modern monument for the indigenous people of the Atacama desert.  We were told that the vista from atop the monument was one of the best in the region, so we decided to take a quick hike up there before heading back into town for the night.  Although it ended up being more than a quick hike, it was definitely worth the trip!  We were welcomed to the vista by a beautiful archway through which we were given a glimpse of the great view ahead.  From the top of the hill, we could see all the surrounding mountains, the river flowing for miles in both directions, and even Valle de la Muerte!  And we timed it perfectly so that we could see the sunset as we climbed down.  Even though our "easy" day hadn't turned out quite so easy, it was definitely memorable!