DAY 52 (3 OF 3) – TROPIC OF CAPRICORN, ATACAMA, CHILE

On our way back to San Pedro de Atacama, we made a brief stop where the imaginary line Tropic of Capricorn intersecting with the highway.  At the same point, we also saw a reconstructed Inca Trail connecting two volcanoes in each end of the horizon.  During Inca times, highland volcanoes were sacred mountains where rituals were performed by the Incas.  Child sacrifices were sometimes performed in these rituals.  Inca trails were constructed throughout the Andes for transporting goods, armies, and also ritual possessions, connecting Cusco (Cuzco) of Peru to all corners of the Inca Empire.
The end of today’s tour marked the grande finale of our stay in San Pedro de Atacama.  Tomorrow, we would take a morning bus to Antofagasta, where the hostile Atacama Desert finally meets its western boundary, the Pacific Ocean.
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Read more on San Pedro de Atacama, 2013 South America
Day 49 – Arrival, San Pedro de Atacama
Day 50.1 – Geyser del Tatio, Atacama Dessert
Day 50.2 – Altiplano Wetland, near El Tatio
Day 50.3 – Machuca Village, Atacama
Day 50.4 – Stargazing, Atacama Dessert
Day 51.1 – Town, San Pedro de Atacama
Day 51.2 – Valle de la Muerte & Cordillera de la Sal, San Pedro de Atacama
Day 51.3 – Valle de la Luna, San Pedro de Atacama
Day 52.1 – Laguna Chaxa, Atacama
Day 52.2 – Lagunas Altiplanicas, Atacama
Day 52.3 – Tropic de Capricorn, Atacama
Day 53.1 – Pacific Ocean, Antofagasta
Day 53.2 – Nan King Restaurant, Antofagasta
Day 54.1 – On the Road, Atacama Desert
Day 54.2 – Paranal Observatory, Atacama Desert

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South America 2013 – Our Destinations
Buenos Aires (Argentina), Iguazu Falls (Argentina/Brazil), Pantanal (Brazil), Brasilia (Brazil), Belo Horizonte & Inhotim (Brazil), Ouro Preto (Brazil), Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), Paraty (Brazil), Sao Paulo (Brazil), Samaipata & Santa Cruz (Bolivia), Sucre (Bolivia), Potosi (Bolivia), Southwest Circuit (Bolivia), Tilcara, Purmamarca, Salta (Argentina), Cafayate (Argentina), San Pedro de Atacama (Chile), Antofagasta & Paranal Observatory (Chile), Chiloe (Chile), Puerto Varas (Chile), Torres del Paine (Chile), Ushuaia (Argentina), El Chalten (Argentina), El Calafate (Argentina), Isla Magdalena (Argentina), Santiago (Chile), Valparaiso (Chile), Afterthought