Licancabur volcano

The Licancabur volcano, also called Licancábur volcano (in the Atacameño or Kunza language, lickan: 'town', 'country'; ckabur, 'mountain'; ie: 'village mountain', or 'mountain of the country' 39;) is a stratovolcano located on the border between Bolivia and Chile, next to Laguna Verde. Its last eruption took place in the Holocene period.

Location

The Licancabur volcano borders the department of Potosí in Bolivia and the region of Antofagasta in Chile. Due to its height (5920 m) and its almost perfect cone, it is a predominant landscape element in the Andean mountain range of the El Loa province of the aforementioned Chilean region. More than a third of the northeast slope belongs to Bolivia, from the foot of the slope, at 4,360 masl, to 5,400 m s. no. m.

In Chilean territory, it is located on the north side of the Portezuelo del Cajón pass and northeast of the Valle de la Luna and the tourist town of San Pedro de Atacama.

On the Bolivian side, there is the Eduardo Abaroa Andean Fauna National Reserve, with which it is protected due to the fact that on its slopes is the Green Lagoon that concentrates large numbers of Andean flamingos.

Overview

The first ascent to this volcano was in 1884 by Severo Titichoca.

The Licancabur Volcano is an iconic mountain, due to the way it dominates the horizon from San Pedro de Atacama. It is a simple ascent, but it requires previous acclimatization to be able to enjoy it.

Ruins Incas at the foot of the volcano

The Licancabur, the “mountain of the people” of the Atacameños or Cunzas, was venerated as “Tata Maico Licán”, this perfect stone cone was one of those sacred altars chosen by those cultures. Already in 1886, José Santelices received news from the native shepherd Severo Titichoca that there were signs of the ancients on its summit. This motivated their immediate ascent, and from the summit they collected statuettes and other relics, also finding stone constructions, and firewood that they piled up and burned in a bonfire to alert the locals below. The Incas considered the mountains sacred places, especially their summits, where they raised stone shelters, and made offerings; In the high altitudes of the Andes, and in the middle of the XV century, they sacrificed guinea pigs and llamas, burned garments, left pots, chicha, corn, piles of firewood and tombs, "huacas" that sometimes housed mummies with their rich gold and silver trousseau.

The spirit of the Licancabur volcano

In the times that the Incas dominated the north and center of Chile, to calm the outbursts of the God (now extinguished) they threw cut stones and other gifts for the spirit of the Licancabur on their backs, and they began to climb the 2400 meters from the plain, to finally reach the top.

They built their stone walls there, deposited their offerings, said their prayers and descended with a light soul.

The descendants of those indigenous people still fear and revere the spirit of the volcano and the gigantic stone walls on its summit.

Lagoon

The lagoon in its crater, measuring 90 m × 70, with an area of 0.5 ha and a depth of between 5 and 6 m, is the fifth highest lake in the world. Despite temperatures of -30 °C at night, it contains a varied biomass that shares a unique biotope.

Gallery

• 
• 
• 

  The Licancabur is the mountain on the left

• 

  Laguna Verde

• 
•