Salcantay

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Salcantay
Salcantay from the southwest

Salcantay from the southwest

height 6264  m
location Cusco Region ( Peru ) PeruPeru 
Mountains Cordillera Vilcabamba ( Andes )
Coordinates 13 ° 19 '55 "  S , 72 ° 32' 48"  W Coordinates: 13 ° 19 '55 "  S , 72 ° 32' 48"  W.
Salcantay (Peru)
Salcantay
First ascent 1952 by Claude Kogan , George Irving Bell , Fred D. Ayres, David Michael Jr., WV Graham Matthews and M. Bernard Pierre

The Salcantay or Salkantay is the highest mountain in the Cordillera Vilcabamba region , part of the Peruvian Andes , at an altitude of 6264  m .

It is located in the Cusco region , approx. 60 km northwest of the city of Cusco . The Salkantay ranks 38th among the highest mountains in the Andes and is the twelfth highest mountain in Peru. The first ascent was made by a French expedition in 1952. The standard route today runs over the northeast ridge to the summit.

Salkantay is usually translated as "wild mountain". The name is derived from salka , quechua for 'wild', 'uncivilized' and was first recorded in 1583. Even the Inca are said to have believed that the mountain, as a kind of god, controls the fertility of the vegetation and wildlife and the weather in the region west of Cusco. Even today, the Apu of the mountain is revered and asked by the local population for good harvests, increase in herds as well as health and prosperity. He is considered the brother of Ausangate ( 6384  m ), the highest peak east of Cusco.

Due to the global warming weeks can be observed by week, as the once mighty glaciers of Salkantay by the progressive melting glaciers , declining. On February 23, 2020, a huge piece of the glacier broke off and caused an ice and mud avalanche with an estimated volume of 400,000 m³. 15 villages were affected and at least five people were killed.

Individual evidence

  1. Mark Rose: Exploring the Inca Heartland. In: Archeology. Archaeological Institute of America , September 1, 1999, accessed September 23, 2019 .
  2. Leopold Löffler: “I don't recognize my father again!” In: Der Tagesspiegel , September 20, 2019, accessed on September 22, 2019.
  3. Julie Celestial: Massive glacier collapse and catastrophic mudflow near Machu Picchu, Peru. In: watchers.news . February 28, 2020, accessed on March 1, 2020.

Web links

Commons : Salcantay  - collection of images, videos and audio files