The proposal questions the role that tourism can play as a strategic actor in revealing the potential of pristine territories and unveiling in the collective imagination those fragile landscapes that appear untouched and pristine, which coexist with mining activities. Through an exercise of layering, the palimpsest that emerges in a seemingly pristine landscape is made evident, demonstrating that it is not the coexistence of uses—historically present in this territory—that threatens its fragility, but rather the magnitude and scale of those uses.

On one hand, the need for territorial planning is proposed as a necessary mechanism for the consensual and sustainable use of isolated territories; on the other, the potential of spatial design is highlighted to ensure harmony among productive sectors without compromising the future potential of these landscapes. The methodological hypothesis of revealing the palimpsest aims to highlight the historical coexistence of different uses in the territory, thus identifying a possible path toward harmonizing the various productive vocations of the area.

The case study analyzes the province of Chañaral in the Atacama region of Chile, particularly the Salar de Pedernales.

Ximena Arizaga, Osvaldo Moreno, Sebastián Palacios
Faculty of Architecture, Design and Urban Studies, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago