San Pedro de Atacama | |
|---|---|
 San Pedro de Atacama at the edge of theSalar de Atacama | |
  San Pedro de Atacama Location in Chile | |
| Coordinates:22°55′S68°12′W / 22.917°S 68.200°W /-22.917; -68.200 | |
| Country |  Chile |
| Region |  Antofagasta |
| Province | El Loa |
| Founded | ≈1450 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Municipality |
| • Alcalde | Sandra Berna Martínez (DC) |
| Area | |
• Total | 23,438.8 km2 (9,049.8 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 2,407 m (7,897 ft) |
| Population (2012 Census)[1] | |
• Total | 10,960 |
| • Density | 0.4676/km2 (1.211/sq mi) |
| • Urban | 1,938 |
| • Rural | 3,031 |
| Gender | |
| • Male | 2,928 |
| • Female | 2,041 |
| Time zone | UTC-3 (CLST[2]) |
| Area code | (+56) 5 |
| Website | Municipalidad San Pedro de Atacama |
San Pedro de Atacama is aChilean town andcommune inEl Loa Province,Antofagasta Region. It is located east ofAntofagasta, some 106 km (60 mi) southeast ofCalama and theChuquicamata copper mine, overlooking theLicancabur volcano. It features a significant archeological museum, theR. P. Gustavo Le Paige Archaeological Museum, with a large collection of relics and artifacts from the region. Native ruins nearby attract increasing numbers of tourists interested in learning aboutpre-Columbian cultures.
San Pedro de Atacama grew, over centuries, around anoasis in thePuna de Atacama, an arid highplateau. Its first inhabitants were theAtacameños, who developed basketworks and ceramic pottery crafts that can be now be appreciated by tourists in the several souvenir shops as typical products of San Pedro de Atacama.[3] There is debate over what degree of connection the Atacameños had to theTiwanaku culture.[4]
It was part ofBolivia since independence fromSpain untilChile claimed ownership during theWar of the Pacific. During that war, theBattle of Río Grande was fought in the surroundings.[citation needed] With the creation ofAtacama Province in 1829 San Pedro de Atacama lost its traditional status as regional capital to the portCobija.[5] As the government ofAndrés de Santa Cruz sought to link the port of Cobija to the rest of Bolivia it promoted the cultivation ofalfalfa in San Pedro to provide forage for travellers between theAltiplano and the coast.[5]
On July 18, 2024, the region suffered a 7.4 magnitude earthquake.[6]
According to the 2002census of theNational Statistics Institute, San Pedro de Atacama had 4,969 inhabitants (2,928 males and 2,041 females). Of these, 1,938 (39%) lived inurban areas and 3,031 (61%) inrural areas. The population grew by 75.6% (2,140 persons) between the 1992 and 2002 censuses.[1]
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As a commune, San Pedro de Atacama is a third-leveladministrative division of Chile administered by amunicipal council, headed by analcalde who is directly elected every four years. The 2008-2012 alcalde is Sandra Berna Martínez.
Within theelectoral divisions of Chile, San Pedro de Atacama is represented in theChamber of Deputies by Marcos Espinosa (PRSD) and Felipe Ward (UDI) as part of the third electoral district, (together withTocopilla,María Elena,Calama andOllagüe). The commune is represented in theSenate by Alejandro Guillier Álvarez (PRSD) and Pedro Araya Guerrero (Ind.) as part of the second senatorial constituency (Antofagasta Region).
The town lies at an average of 8,000 feet (2,400 m), thus visitors often experience mildaltitude sickness such as dizziness, lethargy and headaches.[7] The local climate is extremely dry and mild, with daytime temperatures between 25–30 degrees Celsius (77–86 degrees Fahrenheit) in the summer (December to February) and 18–25 °C (64–77 °F) in the winter (June to August). Nighttime temperatures routinely drop below 0 °C (32 °F) and can reach as low as −10 °C (14 °F) in the winter. The record high temperature of 38.3 °C (100.9 °F) was registered in January 2024 in San Pedro de Atacama.[8]
Köppen-Geiger climate classification system classifies its climate ascold desert (BWk)[9] for anisotherm of the mean yearly temperature of lower than 18 °C (64 °F).
| Climate data for San Pedro de Atacama | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 28.0 (82.4) | 28.0 (82.4) | 27.0 (80.6) | 25.0 (77.0) | 21.8 (71.2) | 18.9 (66.0) | 19.3 (66.7) | 21.5 (70.7) | 23.4 (74.1) | 25.7 (78.3) | 27.3 (81.1) | 28.0 (82.4) | 24.5 (76.1) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 8.8 (47.8) | 9.4 (48.9) | 7.9 (46.2) | 5.1 (41.2) | 1.9 (35.4) | −0.5 (31.1) | −0.8 (30.6) | 0.9 (33.6) | 2.7 (36.9) | 4.4 (39.9) | 5.8 (42.4) | 7.3 (45.1) | 4.4 (39.9) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 4 (0.2) | 21 (0.8) | 7 (0.3) | 0 (0) | 1 (0.0) | 2 (0.1) | 0 (0) | 1 (0.0) | 1 (0.0) | 0 (0) | 1 (0.0) | 0 (0) | 38 (1.5) |
| Averagerelative humidity (%) | 28 | 38 | 31 | 23 | 22 | 20 | 18 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 17 | 22 | 22 |
| Source: Atlas Agroclimatico de Chile (temperatures 1958–1989, precipitation 1960–2015, humidity 2011–2015)[10] | |||||||||||||
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San Pedro lies on the main paved road fromArgentina over thePaso de Jama, 160 km from the town. The road is paved throughout. There are frequent bus services toCalama, several buses daily toSantiago and buses on 6 days a week toSalta across the Andes inArgentina. Nearby airports areSan Pedro de Atacama Airport andSalar de Atacama Airport for private aircraft, and the largerEl Loa Airport/Calama 100 km away for scheduled aircraft.
San Pedro de Atacama is a popular tourist destination.[11] There are various activities for adventurers in the San Pedro de Atacama area: trekking, climbing, archaeological sightings,amateur astronomy, exploration tours in natural landscapes and even sand boarding in the desert. Because of its altitude, a brief period of acclimatization may be required.[citation needed]
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In the town are some cultural and scientific sites:
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The festivals includes typical dances, masses in the street and a little parade through the main street of San Pedro de Atacama.[3]
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