Parinacota church, Baroque church in Parinacota, Chile

Parinacota church is a stone and clay building constructed in Andean Baroque style, featuring exterior arches, side chapels, and a central nave. The structure is topped with a square tower, whitewashed to stand out against the mountain landscape.

The church was built in 1670 in the centre of Parinacota and rebuilt in 1912. On 4 May 1979 it was declared a National Monument of Chile in the historical monument category by Supreme Decree No. 1158. Its stone walls, whitewashed with lime, and its straw and mud roof date from that reconstruction.

Indigenous artists created the interior frescoes using local techniques and pigments, blending religious iconography with Andean artistic traditions. This fusion shaped how the community experienced faith and remains visible in every painted surface today.

The church stands in the centre of Parinacota, in the Putre commune of Chile's Arica and Parinacota Region, on the high altiplano near the Bolivian border. A perimeter stone wall with three arched, roofed doors and a corner bell tower encloses the atrium. The streets around the church keep pools or altars for religious images and serve as the route of ceremonial processions.

The atrium walls display clay decorated with red stone figures including bishops, lilies, and religious symbols that showcase local artisan skills. This ornamental approach differs from typical colonial highland churches and reflects a deep connection to the community.