Located to the East of Calama, at 3000 meters above sea level, on the Salado riverbank, Ayquina is basically uninhabited, but visited in September by its population and thousands of other devout people who return to one of the most beautiful rituals of the region, the celebration of the Virgin of Guadalupe ...

This village, declared Typical Area, is the prettiest of the region, with a population of only 70 people. The stone, mud, and straw houses are arranged in rows along the bank of a stream, with a church and a square at the center of the village.   

Its inhabitants mainly farm their land cultivating corn, wheat, alfalfa, onions, and carrots on terraces that are irrigated by channels with water from the Salado River. They also raise llamas, sheep, and goats. 

Ayquina is well known for its beautiful celebration to their Lady of Guadalupe, to which many devotees attend on the 7th and 8th of September. This celebration is known for its religious dances some of which take place during the blessing of new suits, others at dawn, and lastly the procession of the virgin. This worship comes from the discovery of an image of the Virgin of Guadalupe, which was hidden among some foxtails by a Spaniard in the period of the conquest. Casimiro Saire found the image in the XIX century.