Calama's central square is a shaded rectangle of pepper trees and benches, with the cathedral on its north side and the municipal buildings on the others. It is the one place in town that feels designed rather than merely built — most of the rest of Calama is grid-pattern concrete on a brown plain — and locals use it heavily at dusk, when the desert heat finally lets up.
The bronze monument in the centre commemorates the Battle of Topáter that gave the square its name. Around the edges you'll find ice-cream sellers, a small flower market, money changers, and the city's main church. A good place to wait out the hottest part of the afternoon.