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Joao Pedro Assumpcao Bastos | profile | all galleries >> Some countries in Americas (except Brazil) >> Atacama Desert: Some Cities and People (2002) tree view | thumbnails | slideshow

Atacama Desert: Some Cities and People (2002)

In 2002, Arnulf Kost ("le berlinois") and I, we visited the north part of Chile. We rented a car at Antofagasta (by the Pacific coast) and we drove inside, direction Atacama Desert, known as the driest area in the world. We visited, Sierra Gorda, Chiu-Chiu (small towns with inca people) and Calama. From this town, we went to Chuquicamata, where there is a large copper mine. In that time, it was possible to visit the plant. And finally, we reached San Pedro de Atacama, at the heart of the desert. Very interesting, we passed by some ghost cities. At the begining of the 20th century, foreign companies built some cities for the extraction of 'salpetre' (potassium nitrate) very sought as fertiliser and gunpowder in North America and Europe. Chacabuco was one of these cities. By 1940s, the salpetre could be replaced by another product and, therefore, these cities were abandoned.
We also visited Toconao, near San Pedro de Atacama, and the Moon Valey at the same location. Finally, far from the Atacama desert, there are some pictures of Valparaiso, whose old part has several very colored houses.
I printed in my wet lab the BW pictures here presented. I used two Canon EOS film cameras, one for BW (T-Max 100 film) and the second one for chrome slides (Fuji Sensia). I scanned the BW photos with the Canon Scan 9000F Mk II at 400 dpi and the slides at 3200 dpi. Then, the pictures were adjusted and a little sharpened.
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Chacabuco, the ghost city; used as a prison during Pinochet government.
Chacabuco, the ghost city; used as a prison during Pinochet government.
Road between Antofagasta and San Pedro de Atacama.
Road between Antofagasta and San Pedro de Atacama.
Chiu-Chiu; people having Inca origin live there.
Chiu-Chiu; people having Inca origin live there.
Chiu-Chiu.
Chiu-Chiu.
Chiu-Chiu; people having Inca origin live there.
Chiu-Chiu; people having Inca origin live there.
Surprisingly, in the Atacama Desert.
Surprisingly, in the Atacama Desert.
Houses built by a government program for people living that area.
Houses built by a government program for people living that area.
On the Road between Antofagasta and San Pedro de Atacama.
On the Road between Antofagasta and San Pedro de Atacama.
San Pedro de Atacama Church.
San Pedro de Atacama Church.
Interior of the church.
Interior of the church.
San Pedro de Atacama.
San Pedro de Atacama.
San Pedro de Atacama.
San Pedro de Atacama.
As a very dry region, the ancient and dead bodies are well preserved.
As a very dry region, the ancient and dead bodies are well preserved.
San Pedro de Atacama: the Moon Valley.
San Pedro de Atacama: the Moon Valley.
San Pedro de Atacama: the Moon Valley.
San Pedro de Atacama: the Moon Valley.
San Pedro de Atacama: the Moon Valley.
San Pedro de Atacama: the Moon Valley.
San Pedro de Atacama: the Moon Valley.
San Pedro de Atacama: the Moon Valley.
San Pedro de Atacama: the Moon Valley.
San Pedro de Atacama: the Moon Valley.
San Pedro de Atacama: the Moon Valley.
San Pedro de Atacama: the Moon Valley.
Park Salar Laguna Chaxa, near Toconao.
Park Salar Laguna Chaxa, near Toconao.
Laguna Chaxa: flamingos look for food at this area.
Laguna Chaxa: flamingos look for food at this area.
Laguna Chaxa: beautiful flamingos.
Laguna Chaxa: beautiful flamingos.
Valparaiso, 100 km north of Santiago.
Valparaiso, 100 km north of Santiago.
Valparaiso, old part of the town.
Valparaiso, old part of the town.
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