Puno is the capital and the largest city of the Puno Region and Province in South Eastern Peru, with a population of approximately 150,000 inhabitants (2014).
Puno is located on the shore of Lake Titicaca, the World's highest commercial navigable Lake at 3,830m/12,556 ft above sea level, on the Peruvian Altiplano.
Puno city was established in 1668. In 1665, Jose and Gaspar Salcedo, mine owners brothers from the Province of Paucar Colla (now part of Puno Region), revolted against the colonial government. The brothers reached the site of the very rich Laykakota silver mines in 1657, and by its exploitation they became the richest men in Latin America. They were born in Andalusia and have Andean Peruvians as in-laws. They promoted equal-opportunity employment, however they were seen as more favorables to their fellow Andalusians, to Castilians, Creoles and Andean Peruvians than to Catalans, Galicians, and Basques, and the latter group of workers formed a rival faction which battled the mainstream faction led by the Salcedo brothers. A truce was reached by which the Salcedos effectively became the undisputed authority in the Town.
When Pedro Antonio Fernandez de Castro, the new Viceroy, who was from Galicia, arrived in Peru at the port of Callao on November 9, 1667, this fight had reached greater proportions that, out of personal greed, he felt he needed to resolve it personally. He arrived at Paucar-Colla on June 7, 1668 and suppressed the fight by establishing a court to try the rebels and sentenced Jose Salcedo and 41 others to death. These sentences were carried out. Gaspar Salcedo was banished for 6 years and fined 12,000 francs and costs. The Viceroy also ordered the population (approximately 10,000 people) of San Luis Alva, the settlement that had grown up around the mines, the principal target of the Viceroy's interest, was removed a short distance to the Town of Puno, which he made the capital of the Province. He then burned San Luis Alva. The Viceroy died in Lima after a short illness on December 6, 1672. The sentences were appealed to Spain, where they were reversed. Gaspar Salcedo was freed and the fines were refunded. A natural son of Jose, also named Jose Salcedo, was made Marques de Villa-Rica by King Philip V in 1703.
The pre-Incan Silustani Chullpas are located on the top of a windy hilltop which overlooks Lake Umayo. The chullpas are stone burial towers, up to 12 meters height, where mummies were housed to await rebirth. The bodies of the deceased were swathed in fabric and tied into mummy bundles to be buried with a plethora of items that the deceased was suppose to use while waiting in there. They always placed them into a fetal position, so they would be ready to be born again. The opening of the towers face East, where it was believed that the person was reborn by the mother earth each day. The dry climate and the closed tom had the unintended effect of mummifying many of these bodies.
They are recognizable by their uncommon shape, which is narrower at the base and wider at the top. Each of the towers held a family unit. Unfortunately, many of the tombs have suffered damage by grave robbers, who used dynamite to open them up.
A short distance from the tombs is the museum, which shows pieces unearthed at the site. These date back to the Colla culture, the Tiahuanco Kingdom, and the Inca Empire. The Incas absorved, expanded and continued to use the pre-existing site after conquering the area.
Puno is an important agricultural and livestock region of Peru, particularly of llamas and alpacas which graze on its immense plateaus and plains.
As Puno is located at high elevation, which means it is fairly cold, especially at night. It experiences more extreme weather conditions than would be expected for its tropical latitude.
Friday, December 29, 2017
Monday, February 13, 2017
THE SOUTHERNMOST ANDEAN RANGE.
The southernmost range of the Andes Cordillera, mantled by an ice field, whose slopes drop precipitously to the sea, is located in the southwestern portion of Grand Island in Fire Land (Tierra del Fuego), entirely in what is now Chilean territory. The range includes the highest mountains in Tierra del Fuego, with elevations reaching over 2,000m/6,600ft. The ice field covers an area greater than 2,300sq km/890sq mi.
The Cordillera is a unit of rocks composed of metamorphic, igneous or sedimentary ones and is analogous to the Eastern Andes geological complex albeith both complexes lie hundreds of kilometers from each other.
The range which extends in a West-East direction, was given the Darwin name to celebrate Charles Darwin's 25th birthday on 12 February 1834, and is the most important centerpiece feature of the Protected area (National Park) created on land that was formerly part of a forest reserve. Several tidewater glaciers and steep fjords are found there. The region was visited by Charles Darwin, who encountered its native Fuegian peoples in Murray Channel (salinity is approximately 32/1,000 parts).
Fuegian peoples include the Selk'Nam, Haush, Manek'enk, and Yaghan, the latter settling the lands along the channel approximately 10,000 years ago. There are notable archaeological sites such as Bahia Wulaii on Navarro Island. Ancient people created fish traps in small inlets of the bay. The stone work for those traps has survived and used by the Yahgans into the 19th century. They are the most southern people in the history of the World. They created settlements in the coastal terraces on Navarino Island, building circular huts in the middle of pits containing waste products. They lived largely by taking fish and shellfish from the waters. The island was little disturbed by outsiders until late in the 19th century.
The Beagle Channel is a naturally formed, narrow navigable waterway (strait) in the Tierra del Fuego cluster of Islands on the extreme Souther ti of South America partly in Chile and partly in Argentina. The Channel separates the larger Grand Island from various smaller ones. It is about 240km/150mi long and about 5km/3mi wide at its narrowest point.
The Beagle Channel, the Straits of Magellan to the North, and the open-ocean Drake Passage to the South, are the 3 navigable passages around South America between Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. However, most commercial shipping uses the open-ocean Drake Passage.
The Cordillera is a unit of rocks composed of metamorphic, igneous or sedimentary ones and is analogous to the Eastern Andes geological complex albeith both complexes lie hundreds of kilometers from each other.
The range which extends in a West-East direction, was given the Darwin name to celebrate Charles Darwin's 25th birthday on 12 February 1834, and is the most important centerpiece feature of the Protected area (National Park) created on land that was formerly part of a forest reserve. Several tidewater glaciers and steep fjords are found there. The region was visited by Charles Darwin, who encountered its native Fuegian peoples in Murray Channel (salinity is approximately 32/1,000 parts).
Fuegian peoples include the Selk'Nam, Haush, Manek'enk, and Yaghan, the latter settling the lands along the channel approximately 10,000 years ago. There are notable archaeological sites such as Bahia Wulaii on Navarro Island. Ancient people created fish traps in small inlets of the bay. The stone work for those traps has survived and used by the Yahgans into the 19th century. They are the most southern people in the history of the World. They created settlements in the coastal terraces on Navarino Island, building circular huts in the middle of pits containing waste products. They lived largely by taking fish and shellfish from the waters. The island was little disturbed by outsiders until late in the 19th century.
The Beagle Channel is a naturally formed, narrow navigable waterway (strait) in the Tierra del Fuego cluster of Islands on the extreme Souther ti of South America partly in Chile and partly in Argentina. The Channel separates the larger Grand Island from various smaller ones. It is about 240km/150mi long and about 5km/3mi wide at its narrowest point.
The Beagle Channel, the Straits of Magellan to the North, and the open-ocean Drake Passage to the South, are the 3 navigable passages around South America between Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. However, most commercial shipping uses the open-ocean Drake Passage.
Sunday, May 1, 2016
THE AU-SAN-GATE TRAIL.
The Vilcanota (House of the Sun) Mountain Range is Peru's 2nd largest Andean Range. It is located East of Cuzco in the Cuzco Region and in the Puno Region. It is made up of 469 glaciers. To the East the Rivers San Gaban and Azangaro are the natural boundaries which separates it from the Cayahuaya Range. A visit of its highest Mountain, Ausan-Gate glacier (6,384m) completes a challenging visit to the Inca heart of Peru.
The Au-san-Gate Mountain (6,384m) is the 4th highest Mountain in Peru. It is situated around 100 km South East of Cuzco in the Cuzco Region, Canchis Province, Pitumarca District, and in the Quispe-Canchi Province, Ocon-Gate District.
The region is inhabited by llama and alpaca herding communities, and constitutes one of the few remaining pastoral societies in the World. High Mountain trails are used by these herders to trade with agricultural communities at lower elevations. Currently, one of these high-altitude trails, "the road of the Apu Au-San-Gate, that encircles the Au-San-Gate Mountain, is one of the most renowned treks.
The trek goes over 3 passes where the view of all the surrounded area is breath-taking. Turquoise lakes, llamas and alpacas, glaciers, hot springs, encounters with local Andean people, all together make the visit a rewarding experience.
The area has 4 major geological features: 1)the Andean uplift formed by Granits; 2)the hanging glaciers and glacial erosional Valleys; 3)the Permian formation with its singular colors: red, ocre, and turquoise; 4)the Cretaceous, limestone Forest.
The Cuy-Llur Rit'i or Star Snow Festival attracts thousands of Quechua pilgrims. It is celebrated about 20 km North of the Au-San-Gate at the foot of the Cullqi-Punku and Sinaqara Mountains, one week before the Corpus Christi Feast. The Ukukos (spectacled bear) of all the groups, symbolically representing a character in the Andean Mythology, climb the glaciers of Cullqi-Punku and spend the night there in complete solitude. Then they come down bringing renewed energies placed in huge ice blocks that they carry on their backs for the people of their communities. The energy of the waters of the Mountain are believed to have the power of healing the body and mind of the ones leaving among them that are overwhelm with negative energy.
Cullqi-Punku (Quechua 'Cullqi'='Silver'; 'Punku'='Reservoir') Mountain (5,522m) is situated in the Northern extensions of the Vicanota Mountain Range in the Cuzco Region, Quispe-Canchi Province, in the districts Carhuayo and Ocon-Gate and in the Paucar-Tambo Province, Cosni-Pata District.
The Mountain lies North West of the lake Sin-Crina-Cucha, South East of Minas-Niyuq. The lake named with the same name as the mountain is situated South of the Mountain.
The Au-san-Gate Mountain (6,384m) is the 4th highest Mountain in Peru. It is situated around 100 km South East of Cuzco in the Cuzco Region, Canchis Province, Pitumarca District, and in the Quispe-Canchi Province, Ocon-Gate District.
The region is inhabited by llama and alpaca herding communities, and constitutes one of the few remaining pastoral societies in the World. High Mountain trails are used by these herders to trade with agricultural communities at lower elevations. Currently, one of these high-altitude trails, "the road of the Apu Au-San-Gate, that encircles the Au-San-Gate Mountain, is one of the most renowned treks.
The trek goes over 3 passes where the view of all the surrounded area is breath-taking. Turquoise lakes, llamas and alpacas, glaciers, hot springs, encounters with local Andean people, all together make the visit a rewarding experience.
The area has 4 major geological features: 1)the Andean uplift formed by Granits; 2)the hanging glaciers and glacial erosional Valleys; 3)the Permian formation with its singular colors: red, ocre, and turquoise; 4)the Cretaceous, limestone Forest.
The Cuy-Llur Rit'i or Star Snow Festival attracts thousands of Quechua pilgrims. It is celebrated about 20 km North of the Au-San-Gate at the foot of the Cullqi-Punku and Sinaqara Mountains, one week before the Corpus Christi Feast. The Ukukos (spectacled bear) of all the groups, symbolically representing a character in the Andean Mythology, climb the glaciers of Cullqi-Punku and spend the night there in complete solitude. Then they come down bringing renewed energies placed in huge ice blocks that they carry on their backs for the people of their communities. The energy of the waters of the Mountain are believed to have the power of healing the body and mind of the ones leaving among them that are overwhelm with negative energy.
Cullqi-Punku (Quechua 'Cullqi'='Silver'; 'Punku'='Reservoir') Mountain (5,522m) is situated in the Northern extensions of the Vicanota Mountain Range in the Cuzco Region, Quispe-Canchi Province, in the districts Carhuayo and Ocon-Gate and in the Paucar-Tambo Province, Cosni-Pata District.
The Mountain lies North West of the lake Sin-Crina-Cucha, South East of Minas-Niyuq. The lake named with the same name as the mountain is situated South of the Mountain.
Sunday, April 17, 2016
CUICOCHO LAKE OF THE GODS.
The Cuicocho Lake lies in extinct Volcanic crater and is 200 m deep. Three volcanic domes emerge from the lake at various spots. The Lake contains some hot springs. It is part of the ecological forest reserve of Cotacachi-Cayapas in charge to preserve fragile Andean plant species.
This natural reserve and partly rain-forest is located in the Imbabura and Esmeraldas provinces of Ecuador 140 kms / 87 mi North from Quito. It extends from the mountains of the Sierra to the western edge of the coastal rainforest in the Esmeraldas region. the symbol of the reserve is the condor. The presence of volcanic lakes and waterfalls along with rapids made the reserve sacred.
Despite its status as a protected area, the reserve is under threat because its buffer zone were included in a "mineral surveying program" funded by the World Bank and aimed to support the development of extracting industries in the hands of international corporations. Protests from communities living in the surveyed area who are concerned that the publication of maps of mineral deposits will attract those corporations were successful in blocking the publication of those surveys.
This region has not been extensively farmed and replanted with eucalyptus or pine trees, as so much of the inter-andean highlands have been, so the preservation of the plant species here is a very important effort. The plants have evolved its own adaptations to high altitude (reduced water availability, low temperatures and high winds), since the climate conditions are not as severe as those at higher altitudes.
Cotacahi is one of the six cantons (2nd-level subdivisions below provinces) of the Imbabura Province. The Imbabura Volcano is located in the province. Best reached from the town of La Esperanza, the 4,609-meter-high mountain is climbed by the locals in a single day.
The city of Cotacachi, which is the seat of the canton, is one of Ecuador's leading artisanal manufacturers of leather goods. The ecosystems of the area and the native flora and fauna makes this canton one of the ecological richest zones in South America.
The dormant Volcan Cotacachi overlooks the canton.
The 1868 earthquakes occurred at 19:30 on August 15 and 6:30 on August 16. It caused a severe damage in the northern part of Ecuador and in Southwestern Colombia. The estimated magnitude was of 6.3 and 6.7. Together they caused up to 70,000 casualties. The earthquake of 15 August occurred near El Angel, an extensive paramo ecosystem with diverse biotopes, in Carchi Province, close to the border with Colombia, while that of August 16 occurred near Ibarra, the capital city of the Imbabura Province, lying at the foot of the Imbabura Volcano and on the left bank of the Tahuando River, 70 kms / 43 mi North East of Quito, the Ecuadorian capital. The towns of El Angel and La Conception were severely shaken by the 1st earthquake and El Angel was described as ruined. Ibarra was devastated, with every building destroyed and only a few walls left standing. Nearby Otavalo was left without a single house standing and 6,000 people died. In Imbabura, there were 15-20,000 casualties. The last shaking lasted for one minute. On 26 April each year, in the "Return Festival," Ibarra celebrates the return of the inhabitants in 1872 after a 4 year absence following the earthquake.
The Inca ruler Atahualpa is said to have been born in the Inca settlement of Caranqui about 2km from the city of Ibarra. Ibarra was founded in 1606 by order of Miguel Ibarra, president of the royal audience of Quito. The development of the city included the systematic construction of public buildings including an important number of churches. The earthquake of 1868 destroyed most of them. The city had to be re-settled in 1872.
Handmade ice cream or sorbet was first made in Incan times using snow or ice from the nearby Imbabura Volcano, which is no longer snow bound, using a large bronze pan surrounded by ice shavings, the juices of various fruits and stirred into the pan to freeze.
The name Cotacachi has many meanings. In "Cara" it means "lake with women breast" which refers to the general shape of the island in Cuicocho Lake; in Quechua it means powder salt.
This natural reserve and partly rain-forest is located in the Imbabura and Esmeraldas provinces of Ecuador 140 kms / 87 mi North from Quito. It extends from the mountains of the Sierra to the western edge of the coastal rainforest in the Esmeraldas region. the symbol of the reserve is the condor. The presence of volcanic lakes and waterfalls along with rapids made the reserve sacred.
Despite its status as a protected area, the reserve is under threat because its buffer zone were included in a "mineral surveying program" funded by the World Bank and aimed to support the development of extracting industries in the hands of international corporations. Protests from communities living in the surveyed area who are concerned that the publication of maps of mineral deposits will attract those corporations were successful in blocking the publication of those surveys.
This region has not been extensively farmed and replanted with eucalyptus or pine trees, as so much of the inter-andean highlands have been, so the preservation of the plant species here is a very important effort. The plants have evolved its own adaptations to high altitude (reduced water availability, low temperatures and high winds), since the climate conditions are not as severe as those at higher altitudes.
Cotacahi is one of the six cantons (2nd-level subdivisions below provinces) of the Imbabura Province. The Imbabura Volcano is located in the province. Best reached from the town of La Esperanza, the 4,609-meter-high mountain is climbed by the locals in a single day.
The city of Cotacachi, which is the seat of the canton, is one of Ecuador's leading artisanal manufacturers of leather goods. The ecosystems of the area and the native flora and fauna makes this canton one of the ecological richest zones in South America.
The dormant Volcan Cotacachi overlooks the canton.
The 1868 earthquakes occurred at 19:30 on August 15 and 6:30 on August 16. It caused a severe damage in the northern part of Ecuador and in Southwestern Colombia. The estimated magnitude was of 6.3 and 6.7. Together they caused up to 70,000 casualties. The earthquake of 15 August occurred near El Angel, an extensive paramo ecosystem with diverse biotopes, in Carchi Province, close to the border with Colombia, while that of August 16 occurred near Ibarra, the capital city of the Imbabura Province, lying at the foot of the Imbabura Volcano and on the left bank of the Tahuando River, 70 kms / 43 mi North East of Quito, the Ecuadorian capital. The towns of El Angel and La Conception were severely shaken by the 1st earthquake and El Angel was described as ruined. Ibarra was devastated, with every building destroyed and only a few walls left standing. Nearby Otavalo was left without a single house standing and 6,000 people died. In Imbabura, there were 15-20,000 casualties. The last shaking lasted for one minute. On 26 April each year, in the "Return Festival," Ibarra celebrates the return of the inhabitants in 1872 after a 4 year absence following the earthquake.
The Inca ruler Atahualpa is said to have been born in the Inca settlement of Caranqui about 2km from the city of Ibarra. Ibarra was founded in 1606 by order of Miguel Ibarra, president of the royal audience of Quito. The development of the city included the systematic construction of public buildings including an important number of churches. The earthquake of 1868 destroyed most of them. The city had to be re-settled in 1872.
Handmade ice cream or sorbet was first made in Incan times using snow or ice from the nearby Imbabura Volcano, which is no longer snow bound, using a large bronze pan surrounded by ice shavings, the juices of various fruits and stirred into the pan to freeze.
The name Cotacachi has many meanings. In "Cara" it means "lake with women breast" which refers to the general shape of the island in Cuicocho Lake; in Quechua it means powder salt.
Sunday, April 10, 2016
THE ATACAMA PLATEAU
The Atacama Plateau (Puna de Atacama) is an arid High Plateau, in the Andes of Northern Chile (15%) and Argentina (85%). In Chile (15%) Puna's territory is included in the regions of Antofagasta and North-Eastern Atacama. In Argentina, Puna's territory is extended in the provinces of Salta, Jujuy, and Western Catamarca.
The Plateau's elevation averages 4,500m /14,800ft above sea level, and it spans an area of 180,000sq / 69,000sq mi.
Before the War of the Pacific (1879-1883), the Puna de Atacama region belonged to Bolivia. In 1898 it was ceded to Argentina in exchange for recognition of Tarija as part of Bolivia. Chile, which had annexed the Litoral Province from Bolivia, declared the exchange illegal. The border was defined in 1899 after the Puna the Atacama dispute.
The War of the Pacific took place with Bolivia and Peru on one side and Chile on the other. The war ended with a Chilean victory, which gained a significant amount of land from Peru and Bolivia.
Tarija Department is located in South-Eastern Bolivia, bordering with Argentina to the South and Paraguay to the East. The city of Tarija was founded in 1574 and is both the capital and the largest city within Tarija Department, with an airport (Captain Oriel Lea Plaza, TJA) offering regular service to primary Bolivian cities, as well as a regional bus terminal with domestic and international connections.
Tarija boasts South America's second-largest natural gas reserves. Increased gas revenues and foreign direct investment in gas exploration and distribution are destroying the surrounded habitat and fauna of the region. Political instability at the national level has hindered development of the reserves, as the region has chosen to align with pro-autonomy forces which aim at the devolution of considerable powers away from the central government in favor of the departments.
The main economic activity of the region is the wine industry. The land and climate are ideal for grape and wine production. The city of Tarija holds an annual Festival of Wine and Cheese.
The Plateau's elevation averages 4,500m /14,800ft above sea level, and it spans an area of 180,000sq / 69,000sq mi.
Before the War of the Pacific (1879-1883), the Puna de Atacama region belonged to Bolivia. In 1898 it was ceded to Argentina in exchange for recognition of Tarija as part of Bolivia. Chile, which had annexed the Litoral Province from Bolivia, declared the exchange illegal. The border was defined in 1899 after the Puna the Atacama dispute.
The War of the Pacific took place with Bolivia and Peru on one side and Chile on the other. The war ended with a Chilean victory, which gained a significant amount of land from Peru and Bolivia.
Tarija Department is located in South-Eastern Bolivia, bordering with Argentina to the South and Paraguay to the East. The city of Tarija was founded in 1574 and is both the capital and the largest city within Tarija Department, with an airport (Captain Oriel Lea Plaza, TJA) offering regular service to primary Bolivian cities, as well as a regional bus terminal with domestic and international connections.
Tarija boasts South America's second-largest natural gas reserves. Increased gas revenues and foreign direct investment in gas exploration and distribution are destroying the surrounded habitat and fauna of the region. Political instability at the national level has hindered development of the reserves, as the region has chosen to align with pro-autonomy forces which aim at the devolution of considerable powers away from the central government in favor of the departments.
The main economic activity of the region is the wine industry. The land and climate are ideal for grape and wine production. The city of Tarija holds an annual Festival of Wine and Cheese.
Friday, March 18, 2016
THE ACON-CAGUA, THE HIGHEST MOUNTAIN IN AMERICA.
The Acon-Cagua is the highest mountain outside of Asia, at 6961m/22,838ft above sea level, and by extension the highest point in the Western Hemisphere and the Souther Hemisphere.
It is located in the Andes Mountain Range, in the Mendoza Province, Argentina, about 15 km from the international border with Chile. The Mountain has a number of glaciers, the largest is about 10 km long, which descends from the South face to about 3600m altitude. Two other glacier systems are about 5 km long. The most well-known is the North-Eastern, as it is a common route of ascent.
The Acon-Cagua was created by the sub-duction of the Nazca Plate beneath the South American Plate during the geological recent deformation of the Earth's lithosphere (crust and uppermost mantle); but it is not a Volcano.
The name comes from either the Mapuche 'Acon-Hue', meaning 'The River that comes from the other side"; or Quechua 'Ac-Kon Cahuac', meaning "Sentinel of Stone,"or 'Anco-Cahuac' meaning "White Sentinel"; or the Aymara 'Janq'U Q'awa, meaning "White Ravine," or "White Brook."
In mountaineering terms Acon-Cagua is an easy Mountain if approached from the North, via the normal route. It is the highest "non-technical" mountain in the World, since the Northern Route does nor require ropes, axes and pins. It is easy to climb. Although the effects of altitude are severe (atmospheric pressure is 40% of sea-level at the summit), the use of supplemental oxygen is not common.
Altitude sickness affect most climbers to some extent, depending on the degree of acclimatization. Even if normal climb is technically easy, multiple casualties occur every year on the Acon-Cahua. In January 2009 alone 5 climbers died. This is due to the underestimation that large numbers of climbers who make the attempt does about the objective risks of the elevation and of cold weather, which is the real challenge on this mountain. Given the weather conditions close to the summit, injuries because of it are very common.
It is located in the Andes Mountain Range, in the Mendoza Province, Argentina, about 15 km from the international border with Chile. The Mountain has a number of glaciers, the largest is about 10 km long, which descends from the South face to about 3600m altitude. Two other glacier systems are about 5 km long. The most well-known is the North-Eastern, as it is a common route of ascent.
The Acon-Cagua was created by the sub-duction of the Nazca Plate beneath the South American Plate during the geological recent deformation of the Earth's lithosphere (crust and uppermost mantle); but it is not a Volcano.
The name comes from either the Mapuche 'Acon-Hue', meaning 'The River that comes from the other side"; or Quechua 'Ac-Kon Cahuac', meaning "Sentinel of Stone,"or 'Anco-Cahuac' meaning "White Sentinel"; or the Aymara 'Janq'U Q'awa, meaning "White Ravine," or "White Brook."
In mountaineering terms Acon-Cagua is an easy Mountain if approached from the North, via the normal route. It is the highest "non-technical" mountain in the World, since the Northern Route does nor require ropes, axes and pins. It is easy to climb. Although the effects of altitude are severe (atmospheric pressure is 40% of sea-level at the summit), the use of supplemental oxygen is not common.
Altitude sickness affect most climbers to some extent, depending on the degree of acclimatization. Even if normal climb is technically easy, multiple casualties occur every year on the Acon-Cahua. In January 2009 alone 5 climbers died. This is due to the underestimation that large numbers of climbers who make the attempt does about the objective risks of the elevation and of cold weather, which is the real challenge on this mountain. Given the weather conditions close to the summit, injuries because of it are very common.
Tuesday, March 15, 2016
THE ILL-IMANI MOUNTAIN.
The Ill-Imani (Aymara) is the 2nd highest peak (6,460m/21,200ft)on the Bolivian Andes, after Nevado Sajama, and the 18th highest peak in South America, towering on the SouthEastern skyline from La Paz, Bolivia's capital.
The Ill-Imani is the highest Peak in the Cordillera Real (part of the Cordillera Oriental, a subrange of the Andes) of Western Bolivia. It lies near the cities of El Alto, 2nd-largest city (974,754 inhabitants) and the highest major metropolis in the World, with an average elevation of 4,150m/13,615ft; and La Paz (Chuqui Yapu in Aymara), Bolivia's 3rd most populous city, after El Alto and Santa Cruz, the seat of the country's government and capital of La Paz Department, at an elevation of roughly 3,650m / 11,975ft above sea level. Ill-Imani is quite visible from the cities of El Alto and La Paz, and is their major landmark.
The Cordillera Real is located SouthEast of Lake Titicaca, and East of the Bolivian capital of La Paz in the South American. This Range of fold mountains were formed by orogeny forces responsible for large structural deformation on the Earth's crust and uppermost mantle due to the interaction between tectonic plates. It measures 125 km in length and 20 km in width. Despite the fact that it is only 17 degrees South of the Equator, the Cordillera Real is relatively densely glaciated. This is due to its proximity to the Amazon Lowlands with its associated moist air masses.
Geologically, the bulk of the Cordillera Real is largely composed of granite. Granite is a type of igneous rock granular grain size in texture always massive, lacking any internal structures, hard, tough, and therefore used as a construction stone.
The Cordillera Oriental are parallel Mountain Ranges of the Bolivian Andes placed on the Eastern and North Eastern margin of the Andes. Large parts of the Cordillera are forested and humid areas rich in agricultural and livestock products.
Geologically the Cordillera Oriental is formed by the Central Andean fold and thrust belt, that is a series of Mountainous foothills adjacent to an orogenic belt, which forms due to contractional tectonics.
The Ill-Imani's 150-foot summit crest sends glaciers sprawling down its flanks on all sides. The snow line lies about 4,570m/15,000ft above sea level, and glaciers are found on the Northern face at 4,983m/16,350ft. The Mountain has 4 main peaks; the highest is the South summit, Nevado Ill-Imani, which is a popular ascent for locals and international mountain climbers.
Ill-Imani was first attempted by an European climber in 1877. The French-Austrian explorer Charles Wiener tried to reach the main summit but failed and only did reach a SouthEastern sub-summit on 19 May 1877. Wiener named it the "Pic de Paris," and left a French flag on top of it. In 1898, British climber William Martin Conway and 2 Swiss guides, Maquignaz and Pellissier, made the ascent of the peak, again from the SouthEast. They found a piece of Aymara rope at over 6,000m/20,000ft. proving that the ascent to the peak was already achieved by the Aymara people of the region as an everyday task.
The Ill-Imani is the highest Peak in the Cordillera Real (part of the Cordillera Oriental, a subrange of the Andes) of Western Bolivia. It lies near the cities of El Alto, 2nd-largest city (974,754 inhabitants) and the highest major metropolis in the World, with an average elevation of 4,150m/13,615ft; and La Paz (Chuqui Yapu in Aymara), Bolivia's 3rd most populous city, after El Alto and Santa Cruz, the seat of the country's government and capital of La Paz Department, at an elevation of roughly 3,650m / 11,975ft above sea level. Ill-Imani is quite visible from the cities of El Alto and La Paz, and is their major landmark.
The Cordillera Real is located SouthEast of Lake Titicaca, and East of the Bolivian capital of La Paz in the South American. This Range of fold mountains were formed by orogeny forces responsible for large structural deformation on the Earth's crust and uppermost mantle due to the interaction between tectonic plates. It measures 125 km in length and 20 km in width. Despite the fact that it is only 17 degrees South of the Equator, the Cordillera Real is relatively densely glaciated. This is due to its proximity to the Amazon Lowlands with its associated moist air masses.
Geologically, the bulk of the Cordillera Real is largely composed of granite. Granite is a type of igneous rock granular grain size in texture always massive, lacking any internal structures, hard, tough, and therefore used as a construction stone.
The Cordillera Oriental are parallel Mountain Ranges of the Bolivian Andes placed on the Eastern and North Eastern margin of the Andes. Large parts of the Cordillera are forested and humid areas rich in agricultural and livestock products.
Geologically the Cordillera Oriental is formed by the Central Andean fold and thrust belt, that is a series of Mountainous foothills adjacent to an orogenic belt, which forms due to contractional tectonics.
The Ill-Imani's 150-foot summit crest sends glaciers sprawling down its flanks on all sides. The snow line lies about 4,570m/15,000ft above sea level, and glaciers are found on the Northern face at 4,983m/16,350ft. The Mountain has 4 main peaks; the highest is the South summit, Nevado Ill-Imani, which is a popular ascent for locals and international mountain climbers.
Ill-Imani was first attempted by an European climber in 1877. The French-Austrian explorer Charles Wiener tried to reach the main summit but failed and only did reach a SouthEastern sub-summit on 19 May 1877. Wiener named it the "Pic de Paris," and left a French flag on top of it. In 1898, British climber William Martin Conway and 2 Swiss guides, Maquignaz and Pellissier, made the ascent of the peak, again from the SouthEast. They found a piece of Aymara rope at over 6,000m/20,000ft. proving that the ascent to the peak was already achieved by the Aymara people of the region as an everyday task.
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