Architectural photographer Cristobal Palma has taken a series of photos revealing the 46 spiralling shopping centres built across Chile in the 1970s and 80s.

Known as caracoles, meaning snails, these unusual buildings are believed to have taken inspiration from the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Guggenheim Museum in New York.
The floors gently slope to form a spiral, meaning visitors can work their way up or down each building without needing to use stairs or a lift.

"The caracoles, which is what these shopping centres were generically called, are a very Chilean architectural phenomenon," explained Palma, who is based in Santiago.
"These buildings try to connect a series of ascending levels to the pedestrians on the street via a rising circular ramp, but instead of showing art on the perimeter walls, what you find are small commercial units."
Palma found 26 of these structures found in the capital, plus a further 17 dotted across other Chilean cities.
The photographer has captured each one from the same angle ? facing straight into the central atrium, where the spiral is revealed.
Some of these atriums are simply round or rectangular, while other have more elaborate curved or angular shapes.

According to Palma, the shopping centres are a dying breed. Not only have they struggled to compete with the modern mall, but they have also become symbolic of a turbulent period in the nation's history.

"This architectural experiment might be one of the mos...