Atacama Giant

The Giant of Atacama (Spanish: Gigante de Atacama or Gigante de Tarapacá ) is a large, anthropomorphic geoglyph in the Atacama Desert in northern Chile.

Description and function

There are over five thousand geoglyphs in the Atacama Desert, which dated to the period from about 800 to 1500 and were created by several successive cultures, including especially the members of the Tiahuanaco culture and the Inca. Like the Nazca lines with which they are apparently not directly connected, they served mainly for ritual purposes, but they had also apparently the function to guide travelers through the desert.

With a height of 115 meters, nestled at the hill Cerro Unitas Giant of Atacama is the largest known prehistoric anthropomorphic figure. Most likely it is the representation of a pre-Columbian deity.