Geoglyphs and Glaciers in the Land of Fire and Ice
By Joyce Dalton
 A trip divided between Chile’s extreme southern and
northern regions lends itself to a number of slogans: Fire and Ice, Geoglyphs
and Guanacos, Deserts and Glaciers, for example. Basically, it’s Sand and Sea
with a difference.
The 2,600-mile hop from top to bottom of this sliver of a
country takes travelers about as far as they can go and still sleep in a hotel.
 Before the opening of the Panama Canal, Punta Arenas, a
southern city of about 115,000, was a boom town, mainly due to the many trading
ships that passed en route around the tip of South America. Some 1,400 ships
still sail annually through the Magellan Straits so Punta Arenas remains a
center of commerce.
The city retains traces of its frontier days when fortunes
were made from sheep and gold, as well as shipping. Near the airport stands a
wooden church whose bright yellow paint defies not only the often fierce natural
elements, but local brujos (witches). Settlers from the island of Chiloe brought
along their belief in men who turned into animals that fly at night, bringing
sickness to the community.
 Presumably, natural causes account for the grandiose crypts
and monuments in the city cemetery. Early Serbian and British settlers rest
between tall cypresses, testament to the pioneering spirit of the area.
From Punta Arenas, most visitors move on to Puerto Natales.
Buses make the four-hour trip daily, but a car allows for interesting stops en
route. Rheas, flightless ostrich-like birds, run near the road. Cowboys, with
only their dogs and horse for companions, herd sheep or cattle. Low flowering
plants lend splashes of yellow and white to an otherwise barren landscape. Small
shrines, known as aninitas, or “little souls,” dot the road.
 Honoring
loved ones lost in traffic accidents, the interiors hold cards and various
mementos.
At Kon-Aiken, a large estancia (farm) whose name means
Place of Wind, a narrow road leads to pinguineros, where, from November to
March, colonies of penguins bear their young in burrows hollowed from the sandy
soil. Tourists can observe and photograph the ever popular creatures in living
black and white.
 The drive ends in Puerto Natales, a comfortable town of
about 15,000. From here, visitors can arrange day or multi-day excursions to
national parks in both Chile and neighboring Argentina. Offering magnificent
scenes of mountains and glaciers, the region is popular with those seeking
hiking, trekking and horseback adventures, as well as sight-seeing.
Tourist boats ply the Seno Ultima Esperanza. At first,
passengers view a “great expanse of nothing,” as one disgruntled visitor put it.
Be patient.
 Things pick up and soon, families of sea lions can be seen lounging
on the cliffs. The voyage’s goal is a close-up look at Balmaceda glacier where
jagged blue ice reaches toward the sea. A bit farther along, the boat ties up
and a short walk leads to a second glacier, Serrano. Broken chunks form
mini-icebergs. After all, this is the Antarctic Circle.
En route to Torres del Paine National Park, about 75 miles
from Puerto Natales, take a look at Milodon Cave, discovered in the 1880s by a
German named Hermann Eberhard, brother of the pencil king.
 Within, he found the
well-preserved bones of a milodon, or giant sloth. Today, a life-size replica
guards the cave’s entrance.
Torres del Paine’s fame as a beauty spot is well-deserved.
Lakes and spectacular mountains abound, most notably the peaks known as Cuernos
(horns) and Torres (towers). Guanacos, relatives of camels and llamas, graze
near park roads and are not camera-shy. Hiking trails cover much of the park’s
934 square miles.
 In stark contrast to the south’s lakes and glaciers,
Chile’s northern region claims one of the world’s most arid spots, the Atacama
Desert. Ancient geoglyphs cover the hillsides. Though most were formed by
strategically placed stones, others have been scratched in the dirt. Llama
caravans, human figures, lizards, snakes, birds, arrows and sun symbols are
among the more easily recognizable depictions whose dark stones stand out
vividly against the light-colored sand.
 The city of Arica, only 12 miles from the Peruvian border,
makes a good base for geoglyph jaunts. Situated with the Pacific on one side and
desert on the other three, Arica was a major port in colonial days for the
shipment of Bolivian silver. Even today, it remains the main port for landlocked
Bolivia’s imports and exports.
Designed by Eiffel, he of the Paris tower, Arica’s pretty
blue and white church’s metal sections once served as ballast for 19th century
clipper ships. The city’s sea wall of angled concrete pillars would look right
at home in a museum of modern art. In fact, for one just arriving from the
south, the resemblance to jagged glacier formations, minus the blue glare, is
striking.
More geoglyphs lie off the Pan American highway between
Arica and the city of Iquique, 186 miles to the south. Measuring almost 400 feet
in length, the Giant of the Atacama is the world’s largest geoglyph as well as
the largest known representation of a human figure.
 Though its origins are
unknown, the Giant is thought to represent a chief of an indigenous group and
almost certainly predates the Spanish conquest.
At Pintados, some 400 images cover the entire side of a
mountain ridge. The earth below is baked, split and often salt-tipped. All in
all, it’s an eerie scene.
A number of almost-ghost towns dot the area. Huara, for
example, was an important nitrate-mining center 100 years ago.
 Today,
only a few people live among otherwise abandoned houses. Incongruously, a rather
impressive church rises against the flat desert landscape.
To some, Iquique exudes a sort of laid-back Key West
ambience. A 19th century bell tower, the city’s symbol, dominates the central
plaza. Surrounding the square are several nice colonial structures, including a
late 19th century opera house, said to be one of only three wooden opera houses
in the world. Originally shipped in sections from England, the building once
hosted such greats as Enrico Caruso and Sarah Bernhardt.
 Also on the square, the
Casino Espanol is all Moorish arches and tiled mosaics. Built as a private home
early in the 20th century, it now houses an elegant restaurant.
South, north or a bit of both, travel in Chile insures a
trip rich in experiences, be they cultural, scenic or adventurous.
For further information ….
Embassy of Chile.
www.chile-usa.org |
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