Aldea de Tulor

Tulor is among the oldest known villages in the Atacama, first settled between about 380 BC and 200 AD by current dating, with most of its structures from around 800 to 1200 AD, and its plan is unusual: circular rooms of mud built wall against wall in clusters, connected by low doorways, without streets in any conventional sense. It was abandoned as the water table dropped and the sand advanced, which then buried it - the drifted sand is why the walls survived at all. Excavation began in the 1950s under Gustave Le Paige. Only a portion has been uncovered and part of what was exposed has been deliberately reburied to protect it, so what visitors see is a small excavated area plus a full-size reconstruction alongside.

The main sights

• Round mud rooms in clusters - joined by low doorways, no streets.
• First settled before Christ - among the oldest known villages in the Atacama.
• Buried by sand - which is why the walls survived.
• A partly reburied excavation - with a reconstruction beside it.

When to go

Year round; early or late for the heat. Two hours.

Good to know

Only a small area is exposed, and deliberately so - visitors expecting a large excavated town will be disappointed. There is almost no shade. The track in is sand and rough for low cars. Entering the walls is prohibited.

Nearby

San Pedro is north-east; the Salar de Atacama begins here.

Key facts