Saltpeter, or sodium nitrate, refineries like Humberstone and Santa Laura Saltpeter Works were once a booming business in Chile. The Atacama Desert is high in sodium and lent itself well to the production of nitrate. The countries of Chile, Bolivia, and Peru all fought over the land to gain control over the resources. Chile won and supplied 80% of the nitrate used in the world.
Saltpeter production declined in the 1930s with the discovery of synthetic ammonia for the production of industrial fertilizer right on the heels of the Great Depression. Necessity is the mother of invention, and Humberstone bounced back by modernizing.
In 1960 both Humberstone and Santa Laura Saltpeter Works were abandoned. Where Chilean, Bolivian, and Peruvian works once lived, worked, and developed their own kind of cultural identity, the Works became ghost towns. A decade later they were opened to the public and in 2005 were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
As Humberstone and Santa Laura Saltpeter Works are located 45 kms East of Iquique on the coast of Chile. There are few options that take you there so look in town for public buses which head to Pica (Chacón and Santa Angela). As not all buses stop at Humberstone, make sure to ask the driver if he will stop there, it is about a 10-minute walk from the stop. Or you can simply rent a car and self-drive.
]]'Sunday 9:00 am.to 6:00 pm.
Monday 9:00 am.to 6:00 pm.
Tuesday 9:00 am.to 6:00 pm.
Wednesday 9:00 am.to 6:00 pm.
Thursday 9:00 am.to 6:00 pm.
Friday 9:00 am.to 6:00 pm.
Saturday 9:00 am.to 6:00 pm.
Waiting Time
Entrance Fee
(Chilean Pesos)
Adults - $4,000
Seniors - $2,000
Children - $1,000
Time you can spend
Weather
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