Churches of the Altiplano

I visited the La Tirana location of this tWHS as a small detour on my way to the Saltpeter Works WHS. From a quick search online, the locations can be either small adobe-like chapels/churches or much bigger wooden churches built on former old temple remains. Getting to La Tirana is quite simple as a detour from the Atacama Desert Highway, but the potholes and unpaved roads soon seem to catapult you back in time in a sort of time machine. The industrial landscape near the saltpeter works seems far away, and the laid back pampa life kicks in.

The town lies in an oasis in the middle of the Pampa del Tamarugal, about 72 km inland from the port of Iquique (another tWHS). The town is quite notable for its religious feast in honor of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, which is celebrated on the 16th of July each year, and apparently is the most important religious feast of the Norte Grande.

The area around La Tirana was deforested in the 19th century largely as a result of high demand for firewood driven by the paradas method used to process saltpeter, so for this reason I felt it was a fine complementary visit to the Saltpeter Works WHS. After checking my tyres were still inflated, I parked my rental car in front of the main square of La Tirana to see the Altiplano Church. Apparently the current church is the third temple built in the same place. The …