ROCK ART AROUND CHAPISCA, LLUTA

Chapisca is situated in the Lluta Valley, far inland (see the map at the Arica webpage). The valley floor is rather narrow here and bordered by steep rock walls. At Chapisca there are three rock art sites close together. All engravings are on the vertical walls of the north facing escarpment. The westernmost site is exceptional because all the engravings are found at least six metres high and are completely inaccessible and out of reach of human hands. The imagery is largely geometric although some camelids were also noticed. One solar symbol is clearly visible from below. The others only became more distinct by zooming in. The patterns are obscure, also because many engravings are faint or intermingled with other designs. Measurements could not be taken, but all individual designs are rather small.

On the same high wall are several enigmatic engravings. Here we see a groove enclosing small cupules and together with some other grooves above it, the ensemble gives the impression of a pineapple. The other engraving is a square with diagonal grooves and other short grooves enclosed.

A couple of kilometres west of Chapisca is the small hamlet of Molinos. Just south of the hamlet is a steep gravel and sand hill on which several boulders are found. At the base of the hill, just behind the houses, is a large block with one large single engraving. It seems to represent an axe. Some of the boulders on the hill side, especially the ones higher up, bear engravings, like the single-pole 'ladder' pattern depicted here.