Combarbala

Combarbalita is an altered volcanic rock in reds, greens, browns and creams that occurs in workable quantity only in the hills around Combarbala, and it has been carved here for generations into bowls, figures and jewellery, sold from workshops in the town. Chile declared it a national stone in 1993. The town also has an observatory, the Cruz del Sur, opened in 2008 with four domes for public astronomy - this part of the Coquimbo region has the same clear dry skies that put the professional observatories nearby, and public observatories have followed. The town is small and inland, well off the coastal routes.

History

The Molle people lived here from about 400 BC to about AD 900, the Diaguita arrived around AD 700 and carved the petroglyphs now seen at Rincón las Chilcas, and the Incas came around 1450. Diego de Almagro's expedition passed in about 1536 and Pedro de Valdivia's in about 1541; Bishop Manuel de Alday set up a vice-parish here in 1757, raised to a parish in 1774, and on 30 November 1789 Captain Juan Ignacio Flores founded the town as Villa de San Francisco de Borja de Combarbalá, under the governor Ambrosio O'Higgins (Wikipedia, Combarbalá).

What to look for

• Combarbalita worked in the town - a stone found nowhere else.
• Named a national stone in 1993 - by the Chilean state.
• The Cruz del Sur observatory - four domes for public astronomy.
• Clear dry skies - the same conditions the professional sites use.

When to go

Year round; observatory sessions run on clear nights around the new moon. Half a day.

What to expect

Observatory sessions are cancelled for cloud and need booking. The town is a long way inland with limited services. Workshop quality varies. The stone is heavy to carry home.

Nearby

Illapel is south; Ovalle and the Limari valley are north.

Key facts