Ancient geoglyphs, etched onto the hillsides by indigenous groups from over 1,000 years ago, are under attack – by off-road racers from around the globe, who arrive each year in their all-terrain vehicles (ATVs): motorcycles, jeeps, quads, and buggies. Leaving deep tire tracks in one of the driest landscapes on Earth, this massified racing is erasing (and has erased), some of the 100-foot-long (30 meter) historical carvings, which are fairly easy to spot. This fact doesn’t seem to deter the thrill-seeking drivers though.
Aerial of more geoglyphs run through by tire tracks. (Fundación Desierto de Atacama)
Atacama Desert’s Geoglyphs: An Elaborately Carved History of Over 3,000 Years
The competitors tackle long-distance circuits through the Atacama Desert, erasing the works of indigenous groups that began roughly 3,000 years ago: these works include vast, intricate figures of animals, humans, and symbols onto the slopes of the Atacama. Particularly well-preserved, especially in the Alto Barranco region of Tarapacá, both authorized and illegal off-road racing has disturbed this area, causing growing concerns, reports The New York Times.
Recent drone imagery, released by archaeologist Gonzálo Pimentel, president of the Fundación Desierto de Atacama, showcases the scale of destruction. Pimentel has described the geoglyphs as the “history book of the desert,” but vehicles, including trucks from mining operations, are now leaving scars across these ancient artworks. The Alto Barranco geoglyphs…
