Abandoned villages in the Atacama Desert, Chile

Puquios: p. 1 - p. 2 - p. 3 - p. 4  - Railroad -  Sofía Mine

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Currently, the international road [camino internacional] is in good condition (paved with salt) and joins Copiapó with the Salar de Maricunga and Argentina.

Also, there is an exciting road from Puquios to Carrera Pinto - Inca de Oro [here] (in 2010 passable) that represents the old main road to Inca de Oro (Cuba). [this road]

The dynamics of the mud streams during heavy rainfalls, unfortunately, destroyed much of the abandoned town. The sporadic torrential rains of the last decades eroded a large part of the town.

Description of the station of Puquios by Santiago Muñoz (1894) - The observations refer to the year 1883:

The station of Puquios is the end of the Copiapo railway that advances to the east: it is comfortable and spacious, and contains good warehouses and corrals for merchandise, carts and animals.
To one of the sides of the station, to the north, and forming a street with it is the Puquios village, four blocks long and with small and insignificant buildings.
But still, even though everything is quite limited here, there is a restaurant, a hotel and a company with carriages, which goes to Tres Puntas every Monday and Friday when the trains arrive from Copiapó.
The mineral processing of Puquios is the best in the region, at present (1883) minerals from the Buena Esperanza Mine of Chimberro and Tres Puntas are processed here.