Miculla Petroglyphs

Miculla covers several square kilometres of stony desert north-east of Tacna, with something over a thousand boulders carrying carvings - hunters with bows, camelids, felines, snakes, dancers, geometric patterns - pecked into the dark surface. They are generally dated to a long span, with much of the work associated with periods between roughly 500 and 1400 AD, and interpretations connect them to hunting, herding and ritual on a route between the coast and the highlands. A circuit of marked paths runs through the field, crossing dry ravines on suspension footbridges that swing considerably, which for many visitors is as memorable as the carvings. There is a small interpretation centre. As at Toro Muerto, the site is exposed and unshaded, and it has had problems with graffiti and with stones being moved, so staying on the marked routes matters.

What you actually see

• The carvings - over a thousand boulders with hunters, camelids and dancers.
• The suspension bridges - swinging footbridges over the dry ravines on the circuit.
• The trails - a marked route through several square kilometres of desert.
• The setting - stony pampa on an old route between coast and highlands.

When to go

Year-round; go early or late, as there is no shade. Two to three hours for the full circuit. Take water.

Honest expectations

Hot, dusty and completely unshaded. The bridges swing and are not for anyone uneasy with heights. Carvings are scattered and many are faint. Graffiti damage is visible in places; keep to the paths and do not touch the surfaces.

Nearby

Pachía and Calientes are close; Tacna is south-west.