500 years ago, in this stone and mud fortress where you and I meet, a bloody battle for the oasis of San Pedro de Atacama took place.
In an unequal struggle, a battalion of thousand atacameños fighted against the forces of Spanish Francisco de Aguirre, who managed to defeat them with fire cannons.
For many, that historic moment marked the end of flourishing Atacama culture, which extinguished along with 25 caciques beheaded by the Spanish conquer and whose stone faces now guard this solemn place, the Pucara of Quitor.
From its lookout, it is easy to understand why in the fourteenth century the atacameños chose it to build their fortress citadel.
The San Pedro River, the Death Valley, the volcanoes and the town are clearly visible in an incredible panoramic 80 meters high.
Built on the southern slope of the gully, the strategic position of this pucara that protected the scattered population against a military threat is undeniable.
Therefore, many of the ruins we visited on this tour keep track of the people refugeed in this liparita settlement, brownstones that pales with the time and the sun.
Just 3 kilometers north of San Pedro de Atacama, Pucara of Quitor is a treasure that is worth a visit.
It takes only 20 minutes to go by bike from the village to this national monument full of history and atacameño culture, arranged in terraces like the seats of a colossal amphitheater.
