Alicanto

The alicanto is a fascinating creature in Chilean mythology—a nocturnal, flightless bird of the Atacama desert. It runs through the darkness with wings spread wide, glowing with the brilliant hues of gold or silver from the precious metals it consumes. Its eyes are said to emit an eerie luminescence.

Folklore holds that miners who can track an alicanto without being detected will be led to rich veins of gold or silver. However, if the bird senses human presence, it immediately extinguishes its glow and vanishes into the night—or worse, deliberately guides the pursuer toward a deadly fall from a cliff edge.

According to legend, the alicanto's wings shimmer with metallic colors that reveal its diet—golden for gold ore, silvery for silver ore, and sometimes copper-green. The female alicanto reportedly lays just two eggs in her cave dwelling, formed of either gold or silver depending on her preferred mineral diet.

Though possessing functional wings, the alicanto cannot fly due to the heavy ore weighing down its crop. This means it runs faster when hungry than after feeding. The bird's illuminated wings supposedly indicate deposits of treasure, making it valuable to prospectors who can follow it discreetly.

However, if discovered, the alicanto extinguishes its glow and flees into the darkness. More treacherously, it may lead pursuers toward hidden cliffs, which remain invisible in the intense darkness until too late. Despite this danger, local lore credits an alicanto with guiding Juan Godoy to the rich silver deposits of Chañarcillo on May 16, 1832, which triggered the Chilean silver rush.