Pucará de Quitor

It is located Approximately 3 Km. from San Pedro in the Quitor hill.  This used to be a fort that was constructed by the Atacama community to defend themselves from other towns that inhabited South America.
This impressive Pre-Incan construction has been declared a National Monument.

It was constructed in the XII century. It is made of blocks, built with large rocks alternating with smaller ones generally uncut, extracted from a bank of liparita and linked with mud.

Advanced wall techniques were used in the construction composed by 200 structures on a surface of 2.5 hectares; some buildings are larger than others. Its name comes from a pre-Hispanic agricultural group “Ayllu de Quitor” whose farming fields started at the foot of the Pucará Hill and were fed by the San Pedro River.

The hillsides nearby the crop fields reach an altitude of 70 meters; roofs are always of one slope. The same techniques were used in Quitor as well as in the fields of Lasana where chañar or algarrobo beams, covered with mud, were planted.
Here, the Spanish conqueror, Francisco de Aguirre, carried out a men company to take the Atacama community.

How to get

Distances

- From Antofagasta to the northwest: 321 km
- From San Pedro de Atacama to the northwest: 3 km

Access
This is a dirt road that can be traversed in private car or with a rented bicycle. It is also possible to ride horses or take a guided tour which can be contacted in San Pedro de Atacama.