Pulperia

Pulperia was the name given to the company stores of the industries that extracted sodium nitrate from caliche deposits between 1850 and 1930 in Northern Chile in the current regions of Tarapaca and Antofagasta. These nitrate companies were called “Oficinas Salitreras” or “Saltpeter villages”, located on the large and arid Pampa del Tamarugal and Atacama Desert, the driest in the world. Due to the extreme conditions of the desert, traveling and providing supplies across the desert was very difficult. Therefore, the companies founded small villages and provided lodging, water and food for their workers. These self-sufficient installations included areas for the extraction and processing of Niter, on-site mining center management, worker’s housing, pulperias, churches, schools, recreation centers, and entertainment.