Off-roaders destroyed 3,000-year-old art from a lost civilization in Chile
- Off-roaders damaged a section of the Atacama Desert in Chile
- The desert surface had 3,000-year-old geoglyphs
- Chilean authorities said the damage is likely irreversible
Published on Sep 27, 2024 at 12:18 PM (UTC+4)
by Alessandro Renesis
Last updated on Sep 27, 2024 at 7:22 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Tom Wood
A group of off-roaders damaged a historic site in Chile.
By driving on the surface of a specific section of the Atacama desert, off-roaders ruined Chilean geoglyphs dating as far back as 3,000 yeras ago.
Chilean authorities said the damage is likely ‘irreversible’.
This is where, ordinarily, we’d find a redeeming ‘but the good news is’ moment, but it seems like there isn’t one.
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What are these geoglyphs in Chile?
A geoglyphs is a large motif, you can call it artwork, than can be seen from above.
It’s generally produced on the ground using stones, gravel, earth, and so on.
These geoglyphs were likely created 3,000 years ago and it’s infuriating to think they might be ruined.
The only thing we can hope for is that perhaps Chilean authorities are mistaken and that the damage is not irreversible as they say.
When off-roading goes wrong
Off-roaders are often not used off-road.
The Cybertruck – for example – is technically designed for that, but most people never take it anywhere without tarmac.
Although, on occasion, we’ve seen what the truck can do.
A while back, we saw a Cybertruck rescue another off-roader stuck in mud.
By contrast, there are also off-roaders that are designed to see dirt, mud, snow, gravel and ice, and they’re actually very good at that.
Like that 55-year-old Mahindra truck that managed to rescue a bigger truck from a river.
But it’s one thing to overestimate the ability of a vehicle and take it somewhere it can’t cope with.
It’s a totally different, and worse, idea to take it somewhere no vehicles should be in the first place.
One of the images for this article was created with AI
Alessandro is an automotive journalist with 10 years of experience covering supercars, automotive history, emerging vehicle technology, and luxury transportation. He wrote the first article published on SupercarBlondie.com when the website launched in 2022 and has since built a reputation for insightful reporting across the automotive and transportation industries. His expertise is grounded in hands-on experience. Alessandro has driven every Tesla model ever produced, from the original Roadster to the Cybertruck, and regularly covers the latest developments in electric vehicles and automotive innovation. His passion for transportation extends beyond cars, he has even flown a Boeing 787 Dreamliner simulator in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. His reporting spans everything from classic American muscle cars and rare automotive discoveries to luxury yachts, private aircraft, high-end watches, and cutting-edge vehicle technology. Known for his deep knowledge of automotive history and ability to uncover the stories behind iconic vehicles, Alessandro brings readers a blend of historical context, technical expertise, and first-hand experience.
