Archeology on Llullaillaco. The Puna de Atacama extends for tens of thousands of square miles along the chain of the Andes on the northern frontier between Argentina and Chile and into southern Bolivia. This is the most splendid volcanic area of the earth, an endless, treeless and nearly manless highland, which resembles the landscape of the moon in its bareness. From a gravel and salt desert with an average altitude of 13,000 feet sparcely glaciated volcanos rise to nearly 23,000 feet. On the ice-free summits of some of these peaks masonry was erected which must have originated in pre-Columbian times. Such masonry is found on Llullaillco at 22,000 feet. To investigate and seek an explanation for these puzzling ancient Indian ruins at these fantastic altitudes was the objective of our most recent expedition. (For former expeditions see A.A.J., 1957, 10:2, pp. 163-4 and 1959, 11:2, pp. 314-6.) The Austrian-Argentine Llullaillaco Expedition, consisting of the Austrian Luis Vigl and me and the Argentines Benjamin Dixon, Frank Memmelsdorff and Ricardo Mendieta, left Buenos Aires for Salta and Socompa. We arrived on February 18 at the mine, La Casualidad (13,400 feet) at the foot of Llullaillaco. Base Camp (16,500 feet) and Camp I (20,175 feet) were established. The first “attack” lasted until February 28. We excavated deeply snowed-in rooms in the ruins at 21,650 feet on the Llullaillaco saddle until we reached the cement-hard layer of consolidated ice, straw, wood and rubble (remains of a fallen-in roof). The surrounding walls of the three-room dwelling are 20 feet long, 13 feet wide, 10 feet high and 3 feet thick. Vigl also climbed to the main summit (22,080 feet) from there. Then the Argentines had to return to work and Vigl left for reasons of health. The second “attack,” from March 12 to 18, was made by the well acclimatized, half-Indian worker from the Mine La Casualidad, Narcizo Díaz and me. With exhausting labor we cleared the greater part of the three rooms, despite a debilitating illness that I had, perhaps from bad meat. We found textiles, ceramics, food remains and straw matting. We climbed to the main summit and investigated the ruined double round hut (22,000 feet) as well as the neighboring, semi-circular stone ruin (station for smoke and fire signals). Also we recognized the coarse-block, surrounding, wind-protection wall on the windward side. On the nearby top of a subsidiary summit we discovered a wind-eroded, horizontal, man-made platform with a low surrounding wall (altar and sacrificial site) and on this a smaller rectangle of flat stones (the sacrificial altar). On the rectangle lay three striking red stones, charred straw, some potsherds and some bright cloth. Imagine a sacrificial spot at 22,000 feet! Below the summit were stored 4-foot sticks (wood for sacrifices and signals). In the third “assault” from March 29 to April 4, Díaz and I completed the excavation of the third and last room of the ruins on the saddle. Animal excrement found in it indicates it was used as a corral for llamas (sacrificial animals! pack animals?). We climbed for the third time to the summit and investigated more thoroughly the ruins there and in the vicinity. More masonry (sentry boxes?) and wood were found but in the wind and bitter cold there was danger of freezing our hands. Yet the excavations at 21,650 and 22,000 feet were completed. Between the ruins on the saddle and the summit ruins at 22,000 there were the remains of a path and stairway. We also found small round huts (sentry house right below the saddle and at 19,000 feet another next to a fresh-water pool). Scientific evidence points out that the purpose of the previously puzzling ruins on Llullaillaco can be explained. It seems evident these arrangements at the unbelievable altitude of 22,000 feet served the ancient Indians as sacrificial sites, perhaps for animals, and probably also as signal stations. They originated in the days of the Incas (late 15th and early 16th centuries A.D.). The now ruined huts at 21,650 and 22,000 feet were definitely inhabited at least periodically by humans, who had to guard the fire for the signal station and observe signals from other neighboring summits.

Mathias Rebitsch, Oesterreicbischer Alpenklub