For centuries the natural oasis of San Pedro de Atacama served as a stopover for nomads crossing the two thousand square metres of the Atacama Desert in northern Chile. The nomads of today are national and international travellers, who come to enjoy the town's friendly atmosphere, to stock up on Andean handicrafts and to organize trips to San Pedro de Atacama's surrounding areas.
Food, Lodging and Handicrafts in San Pedro de Atacama
Whitewashed adobe houses with thatched roofs line narrow, unpaved streets. Thanks to its status as a historical monument the town has neither high rises nor flickering neon signs. The large, shady Plaza de Armas houses one of Chile's most picturesque colonial churches as well as one of Chile's finest archaeological museums. Within these surroundings San Pedro de Atacama caters to the needs of the individual budget backpacker as well as of the luxurious organized tour groups.
San Pedro de Atacama has several campsites, hostels and resorts in different price and quality ranges. Most of the hostels are found west of the plaza and along the main street of Caracoles. Campsites are dotted around the edges of San Pedro de Atacama's centre.
As to food, there is anything between a basic meal for two dollars at a local stall near the football stadium and an exclusive dinner in one of San Pedro's finer restaurants. Handicraft stores are plentiful although their collections are almost identical – varying from alpaca-wool clothing to carved wooden animals. North of the plaza is a "Paseo Artesanal", where several artisan outlets are located together.
San Pedro de Atacama's History
Three kilometres northwest of San Pedro de Atacama stands the fort called "Pucará of Quitor" [entrance fee CLP 1500 /US $3], dating from the 12th century. Pucará de Quitor was the centre of the Atacameño culture and subsequently became a stronghold on the "Camino del Inca" [Inca Road] in the 15th century. Pucará de Quitor was destroyed in 1540 by the conquistador Francisco de Aguirre: four thousand Atacameño Indians, unfamiliar with horses and guns, were killed by a mere thirty cavalrymen.
In the same year Pedro de Valdivia founded the colonial town of San Pedro de Atacama. His house still stands along the east side of Plaza de Armas and now houses a handicraft store. The Spanish built the whitewashed church on the plaza in 1641. It was reconstructed in 1745 and the tower was added in 1890. Check out the ceiling made of wood from the algarroba tree and the cardón cactus.
In the 19th century San Pedro de Atacama was strategically situated between the mining towns along the Chilean coast and the Argentinean city of Salta; from Salta, llamas and mules transported food and wood to the mining industry. While in time this transportation was taken over by the seaports, nitrate mines in the Atacama Desert were discovered and cattle were transported from Argentina to these mines via San Pedro de Atacama as well.
Today San Pedro de Atacama lives on tourism and on the cultivation of vegetables and fruit for Calama's market, one hundred kilometres northwest of town. Furthermore, income is generated from the salt and lithium mines in the Salar de Atacama.
San Pedro de Atacama's Archeological Museum
In the 1950s, the Belgian priest and archaeologist Le Paige – together with the villagers of San Pedro and the Catholic University of Antofagasta – set up a splendid museum El Museo Archeológico Padre Gustavo Le Paige [entrance fee CLP 2000 /US $4, opening hours Mon-Fri 9am-6pm, weekends 10am-6pm]. The museum displays artefacts and explanatory panels in English and Spanish about San Pedro de Atacama's history, covering the period from the region's first inhabitants 12,000 years ago, to the arrival of the Spanish. Most impressive is its collection of intricately carved hallucinatory utensils such as snuff tablets and inhalers.
Activities and Landscapes Around the Colonial Town of San Pedro de Atacama
While San Pedro de Atacama itself is more than worth a visit, many tourists use it as a base from where they organize trips to the surrounding area, such as:
- A four-wheel drive adventure in south Bolivia.
- A visit to natural phenomena of the Atacama Desert, among which Valle de la Luna [Moon Valley], hot geysers and salt lakes with flamingos.
- A trip to the colonial villages around Calama, northwest of San Pedro de Atacama.
San Pedro de Atacama has an abundance of travel agencies, all offering [half] day trips by jeep. While prices are competitive, thanks to the large number of agencies, quality and safety differ largely. Check out several agencies, talk to other travelers or check the complaint book at the Tourist Information at Plaza de Armas.
Karin-Marijke Vis - Karin-Marijke Vis is a bilingual writer (Dutch-English) who has been traveling in Asia and South America since 2003.
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