Desert Speaks

People Locked In Time: The Atacama Desert

In Chile’s Atacama Desert people have lived for thousands of years in a land without any rain. The hyper-arid soil has made the perfect medium for preserving the 9,000 year history of human occupation. Host David Yetman and Archeologist María José Figuerero visit the coastal city of Arica and other nearby towns in search of manifestations of millennia of continuous human habitation. Near the city, the hillsides abound with geoglyphs, gigantic artistic representations of people, animals and symbols. Of special interest are the prehistoric and historic cemeteries of San Lorenzo, where modern graves mingle with those thousands of years old. The highlight of the trip is a stop at the Museo Arqueológico, which houses collections of pre-Columbian ceramics, textiles and skulls, along with a breathtaking collection of people mummified over 8,000 years ago.