The Pichasca Natural Monument is a 128-hectare protected area in the Rio Hurtado valley, administered by the National Forest Corporation (CONAF). It has a great archaeological and paleontological richness for the fossils of dinosaur bones and trunks of petrified Araucarias, trees of millions of years. Also there is a large 10 m cavern called "Casa de Piedra" (Stone House) with cave paintings used by groups of hunter-gatherers who inhabited the area 10 thousand years ago, approximately. Its use corresponds to five periods and cultures: Paleo-Indian, Archaic, El Molle, Diaguitas and Incas. The park has a sender for visitors of 2.5 kilometers in length and you can see a real scale sculpture of Titanosaurio.
The monument is located 113 km southeast of La Serena, 56 km northeast of Ovalle and 2 km from San Pedro de Pichasca village, in the Municipality of Río Hurtado, in the Region of Coquimbo.
From Santiago to La Serena by plane, car or bus. Take Route 5 North to Socos and turn into route D-43 in the direction to Ovalle. Then continue on route D-595 until the junction towards the town of San Pedro de Pichasca and continue along the route D-439 until the monument.
The main species of fossilized trees are the Araucarias and trees from the family of the Mirtaceas, like Eucalyptus, Arrayanes and the Pataguas. In order to determine what type of tree it is, the scientists make cuts in the trunks, analyze them in the laboratory and compare them with living species.
Project developed with the support of: