Chile Guide
El Norte Grande
The Azapa Valley
Avenida Diego Portales extends out of Arica's city centre into the green AZAPA VALLEY. The far western end of the valley is, for all intents and purposes, a suburb of Arica, crammed as it is with condos and villas, some of which have been converted into trendy discos, along with a couple of good restaurants.
On your way out towards the Azapa Valley, on Calle Hualles, just south of the river, the Poblado Artesanal is a replica of an altiplano village, where twelve white houses serve as workshops for artisans selling handicrafts ranging from ceramics and glass to knitwear and leather items; its hours of operation are erratic.
Thirteen kilometres along the road, the outstanding Museo Arqueológico (daily: Jan & Feb 9am–8pm; March– Dec 10am–6pm; CH$1000), part of the University of Tarapacá, houses an excellent collection of regional pre-Columbian artefacts, including four extraordinary Chinchorro mummies – of a man, a woman and two children – buried over 4000 years ago. Other exhibits include finely decorated Tiwanaku ceramics, ancient Andean musical instruments and snuff trays, and many beautifully-embroidered tapestries – look out for the one in Case 11, decorated with images of smiling women – and displays on contemporary Aymara culture. All the pieces are extremely well presented, and there are unusually explanatory leaflets available in several languages, including English, French and German.
In the nearby village of San Miguel de Azapa, the only place of interest is the fabulously multicoloured desert cemetery, which climbs like a mini-Valparaíso for the deceased towards a dune-like cliff. The colour comes from the artificial flowers laid on the graves. By the entrance sits the morbidly named restaurant, La Picá delMuertito (the "Little Dead Man's Snack-Bar"), famous for miles around for its first-rate pastel de choclo, a sugar-glazed corn-bake containing meat, egg and olives.
The Azapa Valley is also the site of several geoglyphs. The most impressive example is Alto Ramírez, a large, stylized human figure surrounded by geometric shapes; you can see it, at a distance, from the main road on the way to the museum (ask your colectivo driver to point it out to you) or take a detour to get a closer look.