Day trip: San Pedro de Atacama to Calama Historical Sites

Discover Chile's best-preserved pre-Columbian fortress where indigenous peoples created sophisticated defensive systems protecting agricultural settlements along the Loa River. Walk through remarkably intact stone walls, defensive towers, and residential complexes demonstrating advanced military architecture adapted to desert canyon geography.

Continue to Chile's oldest church where 17th-century Spanish colonial architecture demonstrates remarkable adaptation to extreme desert conditions. Marvel at the thick adobe walls, wooden beam construction, and traditional roofing techniques while housing extraordinary religious art including colonial paintings and carved wooden altarpieces.