Pucará de Turi facts for kids
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The Pucará de Turi is an old archaeological site located in a place called Turi. Turi is part of Calama, in the Antofagasta Region of Chile. It's about 47 kilometers northeast of the town of San Francisco de Chiu Chiu.
This important site has been recognized as a National Monument of Chile since 1983.
What is Pucará de Turi?
This place is a type of pukara. A pukara is a Quechuan word that means fortress or fortified hill. It's a stone building from the time before Christopher Columbus arrived.
Location and Size
The Pucará de Turi is like a fortified village built on a hill. It sits very high up, at about 3,100 meters (or 10,170 feet) above sea level. The whole area covers about 4 hectares, which is roughly the size of 7 football fields. It's the biggest building complex ever made by the Atacama people.
How it was Built
The first parts of the Pucará de Turi were built around the year 1250. Later, in the early 15th century, the Inca ruler Topa Inca Yupanqui took over the land where the Atacama people lived.
Around the year 1470, the Inca made some changes to this fortress-like structure. They added their own buildings, like a Kallanka. A Kallanka was a long building, about 26 meters (or 85 feet) long, with a special roof shaped like a triangle.
The complex also had many houses. These houses were shaped like rectangles, measuring about 4 meters by 5 meters. In total, the Pucará de Turi has about 620 enclosed areas. These areas come in many different sizes and shapes.
Images for kids
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A view of the Pucará de Turi.
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