The Atacama Giant
On a bare hillside in the Atacama Desert, a giant figure with a rayed head stares up at the sky.
What was reported
On the slope of Cerro Unita, in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile, is a huge human-like figure about 86 metres tall, made by arranging dark stones on the lighter ground. Its square head has rays coming from it, and it is best seen from a distance.
Because of its odd, rectangular shape and rays, it is sometimes described as a robot or an astronaut.
Explanations offered
Archaeologists think it was made by local peoples between about 1000 and 1400 CE, perhaps as a deity or as a guide for caravans crossing the desert. Some researchers suggest the rays lined up with the moon to mark the seasons. It is one of thousands of geoglyphs in the Atacama.
- When
- Made about 1000–1400 CE
- Where
- Cerro Unita, Tarapacá, Chile
- Witnesses
- Archaeologists and visitors
- Status
- Mostly explained
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.