As hundreds of motorists take to the desert, their tracks damage the massive geoglyphs made by Indigenous groups in northern Chile
Within the vast, sun-scorched sands of the Atacama Desert lie ancient geoglyphs—carvings etched into the hillsides more than 1,000 years ago by Indigenous groups in northern Chile. But now, these archaeological wonders are threatened by the wheels of off-road vehicles, whose tracks are erasing pieces of history faster than they can be protected.
Hundreds of all-terrain vehicles descend upon the Atacama Desert every year, riding for hundreds of miles. The vehicles should be able to easily avoid the historic carvings, which can be up to 100 feet long. Large signs in the area point to their location.
Unfortunately, new drone footage shows that permanent damage has been done.
I off-road a lot and I can’t imagine these people in my community. There’s a mentality of care—be it trail, rubbish, etc.—that is so strong, those that don’t adhere to it are ostracised and quickly adjust. Even deep in the wilderness with no one around for hundreds of kilometres, going off-trail or into forbidden areas is reserved only for emergencies. But even then still, if time permits, it’s consulted with over sat phone first to gain agreeance with emergency services that it’s the required solution over camping out for a few days waiting for rescue to get out there.
Yes, there’s bad eggs, but not enough to have these sorts of levels of lack of care.
The solution? Shut the area down entirely with very hefty fines in place. Taking things people love off of them because of some bad eggs results in the community policing itself and shifting that mentality. Just look at how it worked for the Rubicon Trail, amazing care and respect to the trail by everyone now.