He Atacama desert in Chile It is the driest non-polar place on Earth. That makes it a wonderful unalterable canvas that has barely changed in 25 million years and is home of gigantic geoglyphs carved by ancient pre-Hispanic peoples. A cultural and archaeological heritage that in recent years the tire tracks are destroying it.
This area is also great for exploring off-road: tourists on motorcycles or off-road cars are blamed as the main culprits, but also mining trucks or the Atacama Rally. But first of all it is the authorities, who do not control the passage of vehicles as they should.
“When we saw the drone images we couldn’t believe it”
Nails recent images captured with drones and disseminated by Gonzálo Pimentel, archaeologist and president from the Atacama Desert Foundationshow the destruction of these ancient geoglyphs located mostly in the Alto Barranco areain the Tarapacá region of northern Chile.
The photographs speak for themselves: dozens of tire grooves cross them. “The damage is irreversible,” says Pimentel. a The New York Timesgiven that cannot be restored. “When we saw the drone images we couldn’t believe it.”
Mostly created between 1,000 and 1,400 AD by various cultures piercing the surface material to generate contrast, the original function of these drawings is not entirely clear. Several theories are considered: route indicators of pre-Hispanic caravans, for mere worship or to mark rest areas with the possible presence of water.
In any case, we are talking about elements of incalculable archaeological value. ““It’s a tragedy.”laments Luis Pérez Reyes, director of the Regional Museum of Iquique. And it’s not that they are small: these figures of humans, animals or objects can reach 30 m in height. Although it is difficult not to see them, There are old signs that warn of their presenceurging not to step on them either walking or with vehicles. They are not enough.
The biggest problem: rental SUVs. The ruts left by off-road vehicle tires point in various directions. On the one hand, to the Atacama Rally. After the 2022 edition there were already complaints. The management of this competition assured that the participants had to follow a route set by GPS, approved by the local authorities, which was previously given to them.
But the final routes that the runners took were not subsequently delivered, so it could not be determined if they were the cause of the damage. The reason they allude to was the high cost involved. In any case, in this year’s edition this rally has moved thousands of kilometers from where these geoglyphs are located.
But this is a specific appointment, defend the organizers of this Rally, who point out that the real problem is the motorcycles, jeeps or buggies that are rented and that circulate without permission in the desert. There are dozens of businesses in the area dedicated to this, he admits. Pérez Reyes who points directly to these “bikers and jeepers” who “seriously threaten their ancient existence.” Also The treads of mining trucks are added.
Fines of thousands of euros but almost no sanctions. Although this area is theoretically protected by law and damaging archaeological assets is punishable by prison sentences and fines of more than 13,000 euros in exchange, little has been sanctioned. And Pérez Reyes has been filing formal complaints for seven years.
The vast majority of These complaints have been dismissed due to lack of evidence or the cases are open because work continues to identify the culprits. Many of these vehicles are not registered and, for example, those who rent motorcycles or buggies wear helmets, so their faces are hidden.
The new images published now, which show the massacre, have caught the attention of the Chilean government. They say they have started an investigation but they also admit that It will be difficult to find the culprits because many of these tire grooves are already many years old.
A good step would be to fence the area so that neither people nor vehicles step on these ancient works. There are those who demand that vehicle rentals be banned in this region, or at least better regulated. This could be an unpopular measure for those who make a living from it, but the permissiveness of the Administration is also unpopular with the residents of Tarapacá who take part in the guided archaeological tours in Alto Barranco and who are more than 30 families.
Photo: Atacama Desert Foundation.
Source: www.motorpasion.com
