La Tirana, Religious village in Pozo Almonte, Chile

La Tirana is a rural village in the Pozo Almonte commune, Tarapacá Region, set in an oasis of the Pampa del Tamarugal at 950 m above sea level, 73 km from Iquique and 18 km from Pozo Almonte. Its church, the Santuario de La Tirana, has a pale grooved facade with gold trim, six gold columns, two square towers with pyramidal roofs, and a curved gable with a clock and sun emblem.

The festival began as an Andean celebration tied to Pachamama and the Virgin of Copacabana, brought by Bolivian miners from Huantajaya, Santa Rosa and Collahuasi who later worked the saltpeter fields. Around 1910, during the Chileanization of Tarapacá, it was fixed on 16 July in honour of the Virgin of Carmen, patroness of the Chilean Army. In 1917 Bishop José María Caro brought the dances into the Catholic rite.

The village is known for its festival of the Virgin del Carmen, where dancers in colorful costumes perform religious processions and sing traditional songs. These celebrations are deeply rooted in the region and show local religious rituals that have been passed down through generations.

The village is easiest to visit during festival times, though accommodations book quickly and crowds form rapidly. Travelers should arrive early and wear comfortable shoes, as walking between the pilgrimage site and the village center is the main way to navigate.

The name La Tirana recalls Ñusta Huillac, an Inca princess of local legend. The surrounding pampa was stripped of its tamarugo trees in the 19th century to feed the paradas method of processing saltpeter, so the oasis visitors see today is regrown woodland.