A photo essay spanning some 25 years of occasional shooting in the world's driest desert, Atacama, in the Chilean north. Surprisingly, water is quite abundant in select places, and so is wild life. Humans have also been living here for many centuries and done quite well. The local Lican Antai people have exclusive water rights and distribute it between family groups or so-called Ayllú, often using channel systems that date back to pre-colonial times. However, today, big mining and tourism suck up underground water like the proverbial sponge and one day soon the show may end, for both the locals and wild life. The mining companies, on the other hand, will still be here, even in the absence of virtually free water. They will pump it up from 50-million dollar desalinization plants on the coast, money they made by ripping off the desert - and the local people - in the first place.

1. © 2015 Gerard Prins
San Pedro &
the Atacama Desert
Life in the driest desert in the world
Chile, II Region

2. © 2015 Gerard PrinsDesert colors (better get used to them)

3. © 2015 Gerard PrinsFlow patterns in the desert

4. © 2015 Gerard PrinsThe desert. Pollock style

5. San Pedro de Atacama
and nearby places

6. © 2015 Gerard PrinsColonial church – San Pedro de Atacama

7. San Pedro de Atacama colonial church, side entrance

8. San Pedro de Atacama colonial church, frontis

9. © 2015 Gerard PrinsPukará de Quitor, an Inca stone fortress

10. © 2015 Gerard PrinsThe buried village of Tulor

11. © 2015 Gerard PrinsThe buried village of Tulor, storage room

12. © 2015 Gerard PrinsOn All Saints Day, people renovate the paper flowers at the local cemetery – Toconao

13. © 2015 Gerard PrinsToconao colonial church

14. © 2015 Gerard PrinsToconao church bell tower

15. Machuca village colonial church. Note the color of the door. Calypso or blue doors are ordained to keep the devil out

16. © 2015 Gerard PrinsMachuca colonial church

17. Lama wool wrapped crosses offer protection from evil spirits. Most houses in the Machuca village carry one

18. © 2015 Gerard Prins

19. Cordillera de la Sal, Valle de
la Luna & Quebrada de Cari

20. © 2015 Gerard PrinsCordillera de la Sal

21. © 2015 Gerard PrinsCordillera de la Sal

22. © 2015 Gerard PrinsDunescape across the Tree Marias – Moon Valley

23. © 2015 Gerard PrinsThe Amphitheater – Moon Valley

24. © 2015 Gerard PrinsRainbow over red rock – Moon Valley

25. © 2015 Gerard PrinsRipples and waves on a sea of rock – Moon Valley

26. © 2015 Gerard PrinsSculpted by the Gods

27. © 2015 Gerard PrinsSalt, sand, sun and tectonic shift. Amphitheater – Moon Valley

28. © 2015 Gerard PrinsSunset over the Gran Duna – Moon Valley

29. © 2015 Gerard PrinsThe Quebrada de Cari land break

30. © 2015 Gerard PrinsView on the desert from the Quebrada de Cari

31. © 2015 Gerard PrinsWhat if it breaks? Tourists at the edge of the precipice. Quebrada de Cari

32. The Gran Salar salt flat
& Laguna Chaxa

33. © 2015 Gerard PrinsSunrise over the Miñiques volcano

34. © 2015 Gerard PrinsAt the heart of the desert

35. © 2015 Gerard PrinsThe southern Atacama volcanic chain, with Cº Tumisa in the foreground

36. © 2015 Gerard PrinsLaguna Chaxa

37. © 2015 Gerard Prins

38. © 2015 Gerard Prins

39. © 2015 Gerard Prins

40. © 2015 Gerard Prins

41. © 2015 Gerard Prins

42. © 2015 Gerard PrinsLaguna Chaxa and Cº Quimal

43. © 2015 Gerard Prins

44. To the El Tatio
geothermal field and back

45. © 2015 Gerard PrinsSunrise at 4.000 MSL

46. © 2015 Gerard PrinsThe Machuca bofedal at 6:30 AM

47. © 2015 Gerard PrinsDawn at El Tatio

48. © 2015 Gerard Prins

49. © 2015 Gerard Prins

50. © 2015 Gerard Prins

51. © 2015 Gerard Prins

53. © 2015 Gerard PrinsGeyser vents

54. © 2015 Gerard PrinsMineral deposits around the vents

55. © 2015 Gerard PrinsOn the way back. View on the high plain volcanic chain. ± 4.200 MSL

56. © 2015 Gerard PrinsBofedal Machuca wetland and the cerros de Tatio

57. © 2015 Gerard PrinsThe cerros de Tocorpuri volcanic group, seen from bofedal Machuca

58. © 2015 Gerard PrinsFumaroles on the Putana volcano summit

59. A volcano skyline. FLTR: Vn. Putana, Cº Curiquinca, Cº Colorado, Cº Escalante, Ojos del Toro, Cº Saciel and Vn. Saire Cabur

60. Baños de Puritama hot water baths

61. Valle Arcoiris
& Hierbas Buenas

62. © 2015 Gerard PrinsValle Arcoiris (Rainbow Valley) is supposedly a collapsed caldera

63. © 2015 Gerard PrinsIgneous rock formations – Valle Arcoiris

64. © 2015 Gerard PrinsCrested hill – Valle Arcoiris

65. © 2015 Gerard PrinsIgneous rock formations – Valle Arcoiris

66. © 2015 Gerard PrinsIgneous rock formations – Valle Arcoiris

67. © 2015 Gerard Prins

68. © 2015 Gerard PrinsIgneous rock formations – Valle Arcoiris

69. © 2015 Gerard PrinsDonkey grey on olivine green – Valle Arcoiris

70. © 2015 Gerard PrinsAncestral Art. Geoglyphs at Hierbas Buenas

71. © 2015 Gerard PrinsDesert foxes, lamas and flamingoes. Geoglyphs at Hierbas Buenas

72. © 2015 Gerard PrinsDog eat dog. Geoglyphs at Hierbas Buenas

73. © 2015 Gerard PrinsCry wolf. Geoglyphs at Hierbas Buenas

74. The Atacama chain of fire
Volcanoes, volcanoes and
more volcanoes

75. © 2015 Gerard PrinsCerro Paniri (5.946 m)

76. © 2015 Gerard PrinsCerro del León (5.760 m) and cerro Toconce (5.419 m)

77. © 2015 Gerard PrinsThe Linzor volcano and cerro el Volcán or Deslinde (5.606 m) seen from El Tatio geothermal field

78. © 2015 Gerard PrinsVolcán Linzor (5.610 m)

79. © 2015 Gerard PrinsCerro el Volcán and volcán Tatio seen from el Tatio geyser field

80. FLTR: volcán Tatio, cerros del Tatio, cerro la Torta (cake hill) and the cerros de Tocorpuri volcanic complex

81. © 2015 Gerard PrinsVolcán Tatio (5.208 m, L) and cerros del Tatio

82. © 2015 Gerard PrinsCerro la Torta rhyolite lava dome (5.018 m)

83. © 2015 Gerard PrinsVicuñas grazing near Cerro la Torta

84. © 2015 Gerard PrinsCerros de Tocorpuri volcanic group (5.808 m)

85. © 2015 Gerard PrinsVolcán Putana (5.890 m)

86. © 2015 Gerard PrinsFumaroles and solfataras at the Putana volcano summit crater

87. These so-called cerros (hills) are really volcanoes. FLTR: Cº Curiquinca, Cº Colorado (4.518 m.) and Cº El Apagado

88. Cº Curiquica (5.722 m). The light area in the background is part of the – now abandoned – Azufrera el Apagado

89. © 2015 Gerard PrinsCerro Colorado seen from the north

90. © 2015 Gerard PrinsCerro Colorado (5.748 m) seen from the south

91. Vn. Escalante and Cº el Apagado lie at the northern end of the Saire Cabur volcanic chain.

92. The southern end of the Saire Cabur volcanic chain. FLTR: Ojos del Toro (5.627 m), Cº Saciel and Vn. Saire Cabur (5.971 m)

93. © 2015 Gerard PrinsCerro Saciel and Saire Cabur

94. © 2015 Gerard PrinsVolcán Saire Cabur (rain mountain) up close

95. © 2015 Gerard PrinsVolcán Lican Cabur (people’s mountain, 5.961 m)

96. Ruins of ancient holy places and a small, mostly frozen crater lake can be found at the summit of Lican Cabur

97. © 2015 Gerard PrinsThe Lican Cabur and Juriques (5.704 m) volcanoes seen from Tulor village

98. © 2015 Gerard PrinsThe Guayaques volcanic complex lies east of Cerro Toco

99. Cerro Toco (5.604 m) is part of a larger complex including the Cajón ignimbrite, the top of which is visible on the left

100. © 2015 Gerard PrinsCerro Toco

101. Cº Negro cinder dome (front) and cerros de Macón.

102. © 2015 Gerard PrinsCerro Negro (5.025 m) and cerros de Macón (4.865 m) seen from Laguna Chaxa

103. © 2015 Gerard PrinsCerro Laguna Verde (5.412 m)

104. FLTR: Vn. Aguas Calientes (or Simbad, 5.924 m), Vn. Lascar and Cº Corona (5.291 m), seen from Pukará de Quitor

105. Volcán Lascar (5.154 m) is one of Chile's most active volcanoes. Hidden behind it lies volcán Agua Calientes

106. © 2015 Gerard PrinsFLTR: Vns. Acamarachi, Aguas Calientes and Lascar, Cº Corona, Cº Tumisa and Cº Lejía

107. © 2015 Gerard PrinsCerro Tumisa (5.658 m), seen from Laguna Chaxa

108. © 2015 Gerard PrinsCerro Leña (5.793 m)

109. © 2015 Gerard PrinsCerro Chiliques (5.778 m) and Laguna Miscanti

110. © 2015 Gerard PrinsFLTR: Cº Chiliques, Laguna and Cº Miscanti, plus part of the Puntas Negras volcanic complex

111. © 2015 Gerard PrinsCerro Miscanti (5.622 m)

112. © 2015 Gerard PrinsThe Puntas Negras volcanic complex seen from Laguna Miscanti

113. © 2015 Gerard PrinsThe Cº Miñiques volcano (5.910 m), seen from the north-east

114. © 2015 Gerard PrinsThe Cº Miñiques volcano and its homonym lagoon

115. © 2015 Gerard Prins
Alive and well in the Desert

116. © 2015 Gerard PrinsAndean gull – El Tatio

117. © 2015 Gerard PrinsAndean gull – El Tatio

118. © 2015 Gerard PrinsFemale Vicuña with offspring. In the background, part of cerros de Tocorpuri

119. © 2015 Gerard PrinsChilean flamingoes – Bofedal Machuca

120. © 2015 Gerard PrinsAndean crested duck – Bofedal Machuca

121. © 2015 Gerard PrinsPuna teal couple – Bofedal Machuca

122. © 2015 Gerard PrinsThe Tamarind forest. These trees can find water virtually anywhere

123. © 2015 Gerard PrinsWild donkeys near the Tamarind forest

124. © 2015 Gerard PrinsAlpacas – Tamarind forest

125. © 2015 Gerard PrinsAndean Flamingoes – Laguna Chaxa

126. © 2015 Gerard PrinsAndean avocet – Laguna Chaxa

127. © 2015 Gerard PrinsPuna plover – Laguna Chaxa

128. © 2015 Gerard PrinsBaird's sandpiper – Laguna Chaxa

129. © 2015 Gerard PrinsSalt flat lizard – Laguna Chaxa

130. © 2015 Gerard PrinsVicuñas at Laguna Miscanti

131. © 2015 Gerard Prins

132. © 2015 Gerard PrinsToconao. Water makes all the difference, and now they sold it…

133. © 2015 Gerard Prins
On the way out

134. © 2015 Gerard PrinsCordillera Domeyco and the Patience plain

135. © 2015 Gerard PrinsThe Lican Cabur and Juriqes volcanoes seen across the llanura de la Paciencia plain

136. © 2015 Gerard PrinsLa Escondida open-pit copper mine

137. © 2015 Gerard PrinsThe Llullaillaco volcano and the Puntas Negras salt flat

138. Hasta Lluego