We only have 3 days in San Pedro, the town is small and gives way to tourist shops selling trinkets and tour operators selling the many tours deeper into the desert and beyond into Bolivia and the salt flats.
History
It is estimated that about 11.000 years ago the first towns of the north of Chile were founded, they chose the “puna”region and the gorges of the Atacama desert.
The “atacameños” (people from Atacama) were the founders of the so called “San Pedro Culture” , they established themselves in the Loa’s basing and in all the oases of the Atacama’s desert.
They were the first farmers and therefore the first sedentary group of the country. As the cultivation zone was very little, they constructed terraces in the mountain slopes which were artificially irrigated and fertilised with Llama’s guano. Their main economic activity was agriculture, growing seven corn varieties, quinoa, beans, Indian fig, cotton, pumpkins, potatoes, dry beans, etc.
These people also raised Llamas and Alpacas and made use of the meat and wool of these animals. Llamas and Alpacas were also used as a means of transportation in order to keep a constant commercial exchange with other towns from the coast.
The “atacameños” showed their artistic development through pottery, weaves, basketry, wood carving as well as through metallurgy, especially copper and bronze. They are well known for their wooden made rappee boards and tubes .
It’s also known that they believed in life after death and that they buried their dead with clothing and food for the travel to the afterlife. They adored different forces of the nature yet. no temples or oratories have been found to this date.
The “atacameños” have the most developed pre-Colombian town of Chile. With the arrival of the Spanish they showed themselves as peaceful people and plays host to the great expeditions of Diego de Almagro and Pedro de Valdivia which came to get supplies in the oasis by the middle of the sixteenth century.
The Church of San Pedro de Atacama
The Church of San Pedro de Atacama is a Catholic church in San Pedro de Atacama, Chile.The church was built in the seventeenth century, underwent modifications in the eighteenth century, and additions were made in the nineteenth century. The church was declared a historical monument in 1951. It’s reportedly the second oldest church in Chile. Some older pictures depict the building as white with a blue door. I took this picture today (22/10/2015). All the walls are made with traditional adobe bricks and cob mud and render. The roof uses a similar construction. It’s a classic look and it’s stood the tests of time in an extreme environment.
Walking the streets in the central town
Starting from the Plaza, you can visit the church, the Gustavo Le Paige museum; then go over the commercial street of San Pedro which is the meeting point between tourists and villagers. A point to note is that the museum is currently under reconstruction until the middle of 2016. Sadly we missed out on the opportunity.
Tours
There are many great places to visit around San Pedro de Atacama.
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