Atacama Desert Village

...and its house of worship.

Nice illustration of class separation, with a nice background.

class separation? Thats the church right? I'm confused. I like the photograph, but it seems like its leaning to one side. Or is that the white building leaning? Very interesting shot none the less.

The topography was a little wierd plus this is an earthquake prone region. I have a couple of close-ups of the church grounds in my Atacama Desert folder.

Ah, here is the little church again. Nice to see there are some parishioners nearby to confess to their sins. I initially thought it was totally isolated and deserted. Nice documentary shot, G.J. :)

Actually, my guide told me that the village had been abandoned. However, the nearby El Tatio Geyser field has become a popular tourist attraction. The road that returns you from the geysers to San Pedro de Atacama runs right past the village. Virtually every tourist who passes wants to stop to photograph the church. Somebody figured out that villagers could sell things to tourists. Thus, during the high season people now live in the huts and sell food, souvenirs and photo opps to tourists. When the tourist season ends, they go back to SPA where water, electricity and other creature comforts are more reliable. At least, this was the story I got.