Calama, Chile: Volcanoes, Ancient Ruins, and Modern Mines

I recently visited the El Abra mine, in the Atacama desert of northern Chile. The moonscape scenery in the high plains of the Andes is beautiful, but the dry, high-elevation conditions are so harsh that it's difficult to imagine people living here without modern support systems. The ancient ruins in the region prove otherwise. The desert is dotted with archaeological sites, some over 2000 years old. A good example is Pukara de Lasana, a pre-Columbian fortress on the Loa River near Calama. The canyon slopes are covered in old ruins and petroglyphs.