Atacama Giant
Chile · Americas
The largest prehistoric human figure ever drawn — a desert deity the height of a thirty-storey building
Age
~600–1,000 yrs
Period
Late Intermediate Period
Setting
Open-air
Art form
Geoglyphs
Discovered
1984
Status
Open to Visitors
The world’s largest anthropomorphic geoglyph climbs 119 metres up the flank of Cerro Unitas in the Atacama Desert. Made between about AD 1000 and 1400, the great figure — perhaps a deity or shaman — wears a rayed headdress whose points may have tracked the moon to time the desert’s scarce rains. Nearly five thousand geoglyphs sign the ancient caravan routes of the world’s driest desert.
Gallery
Notable Features
- ◦ The 119 m Giant
- ◦ Rayed headdress "calendar"
- ◦ Caravan-route geoglyphs of Tarapacá
Depicted Subjects
Anthropomorphic FiguresShamanic FiguresGeometric Signs
Plan a Visit
AccessThis cave can be visited.
Sources & Further Reading
Hours & prices change — always confirm on the official site before travelling.
Photographs via Wikimedia Commons — image credits. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.