San Pedro de Atacama
| San Pedro de Atacama | |||||
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| — Town and Commune — | |||||
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| Coordinates: 22°55′S 68°12′W / 22.917°S 68.200°WCoordinates: 22°55′S 68°12′W / 22.917°S 68.200°W | |||||
| Country | Chile | ||||
| Region | Antofagasta | ||||
| Province | El Loa | ||||
| Founded | approx. 1450 | ||||
| Government | |||||
| • Type | Municipality | ||||
| • Alcalde | Sandra Berna Martínez | ||||
| Area[1] | |||||
| • Total | 23,438.8 km2 (9,049.8 sq mi) | ||||
| Population (2002 Census)[1] | |||||
| • Total | 4,969 | ||||
| • Density | 0.21/km2 (0.55/sq mi) | ||||
| • Urban | 1,938 | ||||
| • Rural | 3,031 | ||||
| Sex[1] | |||||
| • Men | 2,928 | ||||
| • Women | 2,041 | ||||
| Time zone | CLT [2] (UTC-4) | ||||
| • Summer (DST) | CLST [3] (UTC-3) | ||||
| Website | Municipalidad San Pedro de Atacama | ||||
San Pedro de Atacama is a Chilean town and commune in El Loa Province, Antofagasta Region. It is located east of Antofagasta, some 106 km (60 mi) southeast of Calama and the Chuquicamata copper mine, overlooking the Licancabur volcano. It features a significant archeological museum, the R. P. Gustavo Le Paige Archaeological Museum, with a large collection of relics and artifacts from the region. Native ruins nearby now attract increasing numbers of tourists interested in learning about pre-Columbian cultures. Tourists also visit for other popular activities including sandboarding and stargazing, with the views of the stars from the Atacama unrivalled across the continent.
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History[edit]
San Pedro de Atacama grew, over centuries, around an oasis in the Puna de Atacama, an arid high plateau. Its first inhabitants were the Atacameños, who developed basketworks and ceramic pottery crafts that can be now be appreciated by tourists in the several souvenir shops as typical products of San Pedro de Atacama.[4]
Demographics[edit]
According to the 2002 census of the National Statistics Institute, San Pedro de Atacama had 4,969 inhabitants (2,928 men and 2,041 women). Of these, 1,938 (39%) lived in urban areas and 3,031 (61%) in rural areas. The population grew by 5.6% (2,140 persons) between the 1992 and 2002 censuses.[1]
Administration[edit]
As a commune, San Pedro de Atacama is a third-level administrative division of Chile administered by a municipal council, headed by an alcalde who is directly elected every four years. The 2008-2012 alcalde is Sandra Berna Martínez.
Within the electoral divisions of Chile, San Pedro de Atacama is represented in the Chamber of Deputies by Mr. Marcos Espinosa (PRSD) and Mr. Felipe Ward (UDI) as part of the 3rd electoral district, (together with Tocopilla, María Elena, Calama and Ollagüe). The commune is represented in the Senate by Carlos Cantero Ojeda (Ind.) and José Antonio Gómez Urrutia (PRSD) as part of the 2nd senatorial constituency (Antofagasta Region).
Climate[edit]
The town lies at an average of 7,900 ft (2,407 meters), and visitors often experience mild altitude sickness such as dizziness, lethargy and headaches.[5] The local climate is extremely dry and mild, with daytime temperatures between 25-30 degrees Celsius (77-86°F) in the summer (December to February) and 18-25 degrees Celsius (64-77°F) in the winter (June to August). Nighttime temperatures routinely drop below zero and can reach as low as -10°C (14°F) in the winter.
Transportation[edit]
San Pedro lies on the main paved road from Argentina over the Paso de Jama, 160 km from the town. The road is paved throughout. There are frequent bus services to Calama, several buses daily to Santiago and buses on 6 days a week to Salta across the Andes in Argentina.
Tourism[edit]
There are various activities for tourist and adventurers in the San Pedro de Atacama area: trekking, climbing, archaeological sightings, exploration tours in natural landscapes and even sand boarding in the desert. Because of its altitude, a brief period of acclimatization may be required.
Sights in town[edit]
In the town there are some cultural sites:
- R. P. Gustavo Le Paige Archaeological Museum, displaying ceramics and pottery crafts from the first inhabitants of the area.
- Church of San Pedro, a National Monument, built with adobe, a building material used in the colonial times.
Outlying sights[edit]
- El Tatio, a geyser field with over 80 active geysers.
- Salar de Atacama, a giant salt area (3,000 km² / 1,864.11 mi²) in the middle of the Atacama Desert.
- Chaxas Lagoon, part of Los Flamencos National Reserve in the Salar de Atacama, inhabited by pink flamingos.
- Pukará de Quitor (Fort Quitor). A fortification built by the Atacameño people in the 12th century.
- Puritama Hot Springs
- Laguna Miscanti (Miscanti Lagoon) and Laguna Miñiques (Miñiques Lagoon), two neighbouring altiplanic lagoons at the altitude of 4,200 m (13,500 ft).
- Licancabur, a notable volcano near San Pedro de Atacama.
- Valle de la Muerte (Death Valley): a valley where gigantic dunes and rocks abound.
- Valle de la Luna ("Valley of the Moon"), a moon-like landscape with ruins of old Chilean salt mines, and worker huts.
- Llano de Chajnantor Observatory, a radio-telescope site, home of "ALMA", the Atacama_Large_Millimeter_Array.
Holidays and festivals in San Pedro de Atacama[edit]
The festivals includes typical dances, masses in the street and a little parade through the main street of San Pedro de Atacama.[4]
- June 28 - Saint Peter
- June 29 - Saint Paul
Image gallery[edit]
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Street view of San Pedro de Atacama
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San Pedro de Atacama Church
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Licancabur volcano viewed from San Pedro de Atacama
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Llamas (Lama glama) in the sunset near San Pedro de Atacama
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Part of the Chaxas lagoon in the Salar de Atacama.
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Miscanti lagoon
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El Tatio, close up of Del Tatio geyser.
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Scene from Valle de la Luna (Moon Valley) near San Pedro de Atacama
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Remains of the Tulor settlement (800 BC) near San Pedro de Atacama
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Machuca Church
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Socaire Church altar
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See also[edit]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: San Pedro de Atacama |
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d (Spanish) "National Statistics Institute". Retrieved 3 November 2010.
- ^ "Chile Time". WorldTimeZones.org. Retrieved 9 September 2010.
- ^ "Chile Summer Time". WorldTimeZones.org. Retrieved 9 September 2010.
- ^ a b [1] San Pedro de Atacama article in Letsgochile.com
- ^ Cymerman, A; Rock, PB. Medical Problems in High Mountain Environments. A Handbook for Medical Officers. USARIEM-TN94-2. US Army Research Inst. of Environmental Medicine Thermal and Mountain Medicine Division Technical Report. Retrieved 2009-03-05.
External links[edit]
- SanPedrodeAtacama.Net & Org
- San Pedro de Atacama's Facebook Page
- San Pedro de Atacama's commune
- R. P. Gustavo Le Paige Archeological Museum
- San Pedro de Atacama Tourism
- Tradiciones de Atacama
- San Pedro de Atacama weather forecasts, compared (Google translations available).
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