Vernacular Architecture of the San Pedro de Atacama’s Ayllu as a Facilitating Mechanism for Sustainable Development in Chile

- The main objective of this study is to explore how the construction of adobe and the Ayllú can be a facilitating mechanism for environmental protection, sustainability and development. The Ayllú de San Pedro de Atacama has been selected as a case study, because: (1) it is a territory with unique vernacular architecture, made up of adobe construction, (2) it has an ancestral tradition in adobe construction, ( 3) its construction typology is part of its material heritage and is used as a tourist resource, (4) it is located in one of the driest deserts in the world, (5) its adobe construction has allowed to safeguard its identity, sustainability and development community. The methodology is carried out, through a constructive analysis of an Ayllu, together with the analysis of 6 interviews carried out by the Pangea Foundation with key actors to explore the link with enviromental protection, sustainability and development, together with a mapping of where The main Ayllu in San Pedro are located and analyze the heritage tourist offer in this regard. It is concluded that adobe construction can be a facilitating mechanism for environmental protection, sustainability and development, as is observed in the case of San Pedro de Atacama.