Ayquina (also spelled as Aiquina) is a village located on the northern flank of Salado River Canyon in the Calama commune of the

El Loa Province El Loa Province ( es, Provincia El Loa) is one of three provinces of the northern Chilean region of Antofagasta (II). It is named after the longest of rivers in Chile, the Loa River. The provincial capital is Calama. Geography and demography A ...

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

Antofagasta Region The Antofagasta Region ( es, Región de Antofagasta, ) is one of Chile's sixteen first-order administrative divisions. The second-largest region of Chile in area, it comprises three provinces, Antofagasta, El Loa and Tocopilla. It is bordered t ...

. It sits at an elevation of above sea level. The festival of Our Lady of Guadalupe of Ayquina is the most important religious festival in the area.

Cerro Paniri Paniri (Aymara for "he who comes, visits") is a stratovolcano located in El Loa Province, Antofagasta Region, Chile, and near the border with Bolivia. To its northwest lie the twin volcanoes San Pedro and San Pablo, and to its southeast lies Ce ...

, a stratovolcano, plays an important role in the local culture and beliefs. On September 1, 1998, the city, along with

Toconce Toconce is a small Chilean village located on the south rim of the Toconce River Canyon at 3,350 m above sea level. To the north, the landscape is dominated by the volcanoes Cerro Paniri, Cerro del León and Toconce. See also *Ayquina *Caspana Ca ...

, was added to the

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

World Heritage A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

Tentative List for its universal cultural importance.Ayquina and Toconce - UNESCO World Heritage Centre
Retrieved on 2009-03-23. Much of the village's architecture has a pre-Columbian flavor, which is given by its thatched roofs and walls of limestone rubble. There are

agricultural terraces In agriculture, a terrace is a piece of sloped plane that has been cut into a series of successively receding flat surfaces or platforms, which resemble steps, for the purposes of more effective farming. This type of landscaping is therefore ...

close to the village, which are located along the Salado River Canyon and cover an area of approximately .

References

External links

* Populated places in El Loa Province {{Antofagasta-geo-stub