Taapaca, Stratovolcano in northern Andes, Chile.

Taapaca is a volcanic complex in the Arica y Parinacota Region of northern Chile, elongated west to east and reaching 5,860 metres. It consists mainly of many overlapping lava domes, with an andesitic stratovolcano also present; lava flows are uncommon. Block-and-ash flow deposits form an apron on the western, southwestern and eastern flanks, filling valleys. The summit is a Holocene dome, with the late Pleistocene Socapave dome just west of it.

Taapaca is a lava-dome complex whose activity began during the Plio-Pleistocene. Dome growth was repeatedly followed by collapse, producing block-and-ash avalanches, and parts of the edifice suffered sector collapses. Long thought extinct after the Pleistocene, it erupted until about 2,300 years ago, with the latest eruption dated to 320 BCE.

Taapaca was a ceremonial site for the Incas: a stone structure on the summit held a spondylus figurine wrapped in cloth. The name tara paka is Aymara for "two-headed eagle" or "winter (prey) bird", and Quechua for Andean eagle; taapaca may also be the origin of the name Tarapacá and an Aymara name for the deity Viracocha. Nearby Putre means "sound of falling water" in Aymara.

Climbing the volcano requires mountaineering gear and solid physical preparation, as the altitude makes the effort considerably harder. Before heading up, it is worth checking with local authorities in nearby towns about current conditions and any permits that may be needed.

On the summit, an Inca stone structure was found holding a spondylus figurine wrapped in cloth, evidence that Taapaca served as a ceremonial site for the Incas. The name tara paka means "two-headed eagle" in Aymara and Andean eagle in Quechua, and may be the origin of the name Tarapacá.