Cobija

Cobija stands on the arid Pacific coast of Atacama, where a small inlet opens beneath the desert hills. For centuries coastal fishing communities and traders maintained links with the oases and highlands inland. The distance across the desert and the scarcity of fresh water made the route between the coast and the Andean interior a difficult one.

After Bolivian independence, Simón Bolívar ordered the establishment of a port at Cobija in 1825, naming it Puerto Lamar. Authorities hoped it would give the new republic a direct outlet to the Pacific and encourage commerce with the interior. Pack-animal drivers carried goods across Atacama, but long distances, a shortage of water and difficult roads limited the growth of trade in the port’s early years.