Pukara de Quitor
Trail description
The walk starts near the ticket office at the entrance to the Pukará de Quitor, on the Quitor road north of San Pedro de Atacama, and follows the site's footpath up past the fortress ruins, then a switchback path to the upper viewpoint above them. The pukará, a pre-Inca fortress of stone walls set in terraces on a hillside above the San Pedro river, was built by the Atacameño people in the 12th century and declared a national monument in 1982. During Pedro de Valdivia's expedition to conquer Chile in 1540, Spanish troops led by Francisco de Aguirre defeated the Atacameños gathered at the foot of the fortress. Entry is paid, and the site is managed by the Atacameño community of Quitor. The walk is about 1.7 km one way, with some 145 m of climbing.