Giant of Atacama

The Gigante de Tarapaca is laid out on the western slope of Cerro Unita, an isolated hill in otherwise flat desert, and at about 86 metres from head to feet it is the largest anthropomorphic geoglyph known anywhere in the world. It is a rectangular figure with a rayed headdress, made between roughly the ninth and thirteenth centuries by arranging stones and clearing surface, and it is usually read as a deity or a shaman figure - the twelve rays around the head have been interpreted as a calendrical device tracking the moon against the hill, though that reading is one hypothesis rather than an established fact. Vehicle tracks damaged the site badly in the past.

What you actually see

• A figure about 86 metres tall - the largest of its kind anywhere.
• A rayed headdress - twelve rays, variously interpreted.
• Made between the 800s and 1200s - by clearing and arranging stone.
• A hill alone in flat desert - the reason it is visible at all.

When to go

Year round, early or late for the relief. Two hours.

Honest expectations

Driving onto the hill has caused permanent damage in the past and is prohibited - the site is viewed from the base. There is no shade, no water and no facilities. The track in is rough. It reads flatter than photographs suggest.

Nearby

Pintados is south along route 5; Iquique is west on the coast.