Iquique, Chile

Shortly after a beautiful sunrise, we arrived in Iquique, Chile.  This bustling city was once part of Peru and grew in prosperity from saltpetre mining, a form of potassium nitrate.  It was ceded to Chile in 1883 after the War of the Pacific.

Iquique is a city of 200,000 people and sits between the Chilean coastal mountain range and the Pacific Ocean.  Near the center of town is a huge sand dune known as Devil's Hill.  Formed 20,000 years ago, it is the largest urban sand dune in the world reaching a height of 1,500' and stretching 2.5 miles in length.  It is world renowned to sand-boarding  enthusiasts.

Our tour today took us over the coastal mountains and into the Atacama Desert, the driest desert in the world.  To the east we could see distant peaks of the Andes.

Our first stop was at the Santa Laura ghost town, site of a once thriving Saltpetre mine and processing operation.  Today it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  Saltpetre, potassium nitrate, was once an important ingredient in fertilizer and gun powder.  This mining operation prospered from 1873 until its closing in 1931.  (In 1931 the Germans invented chemically produced ammonia which rapidly became a low-cost replacement for saltpetre.)

The mining operation excavated ore in the desert and transported it to the mill in carts, each hauled by 3 mules.

The large chunks of ore were crushed at the mill into a powder consisting of a 17% concentration of saltpetre.

The powered ore was conveyed to the leaching plant where hot water dissolved  the mineral.  The liquid concentrate was then evaporated to form 100% saltpetre crystals.

Santa Laura was a "company town" in the middle of the desert  The company store above was the only source of food and supplies for the employees and their families.

Iodine was discovered in the waste slurry and a secondary processing operation was constructed to recover it. 

Large amounts of water were required to process the ore and provide potable water for the workers and animals.  Over time, the plant found ways to capture and recycle the waste water allowing production to increase.

After leaving the ghost town, we visited the Atacama Giant geoglyph on Cerro Unitas.  It is 390 feet high and is the largest known geoglyph in the world.  It is believed to be the work of several successive cultures including the Tiwanaku and Inca.  Construction dates back approximately 1,000 years.

While enjoying lunch in a small village, Santa Claus, accompanied by a band, arrived riding in the back of a truck.  He drove through town delivering candy and presents to the children.  It was Friday and the kids were all out of school because it is their summer vacation.

On our sail out, Jan enjoyed the 70° weather while watching the skyline of Iquique disappear into the horizon.