The Atacama Desert lies to the west of the Andes in the Tropic of Capricorn .
In and west of the Andes , however , the Humboldt Current makes conditions extremely arid , creating the Atacama Desert , one of the driest in the world , so that no glaciers exist between Volcán Sajama at 18˚30 'S and Cerro Tres Cruces at 27˚S.Exposure dating of Late Glacial and pre-LGM moraines in the Cordon de Doña Rosa , Northern/Central Chile ( ~31°S ) Vegetation here is almost non-existent , though on the eastern slopes of the Andes rainfall is adequate for rainfed agriculture.
Tropic of Capricorn