Ausangate or Auzangateescale.minedu.gob.pe - UGEL map of the Quispicanchi Province 1 (Cusco Region) (in Hispanicized spellings) is a

mountain A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually higher ...

of the Vilcanota mountain range in the

Andes The Andes, Andes Mountains or Andean Mountains (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long, wide (widest between 18°S – 20°S ...

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = National seal , national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...

. With an elevation of 6,384 metres, it is situated around 100 kilometres southeast of

Cusco Cusco, often spelled Cuzco (; qu, Qusqu ()), is a city in Southeastern Peru near the Urubamba Valley of the Andes mountain range. It is the capital of the Cusco Region and of the Cusco Province. The city is the seventh most populous in Peru; ...

in the

Cusco Region Cusco, also spelled Cuzco (; qu, Qusqu suyu ), is a department and region in Peru and is the fourth largest department in the country, after Madre de Dios, Ucayali, and Loreto. It borders the departments of Ucayali on the north; Madre de D ...

Canchis Province Canchis Province is one of thirteen provinces in the Cusco Region in the southern highlands of Peru. Geography The Willkanuta River or Willkamayu is one of the largest rivers of the province. Siwinaqucha, the biggest lake of the province, is a ...

Pitumarca District Pitumarca District is one of eight districts of the province Canchis in Peru. Geography The Willkanuta mountain range lies in the district. Some of the highest mountains of the district are Chumpi, Chupika, Hatun Uma, Hatun Ñañu Punta, ...

, and in the

Quispicanchi Province Quispicanchi Province is one of thirteen provinces in the Cusco Region in the southern highlands of Peru. Geography The Quispicanchi Province is bounded to the north by the Paucartambo Province and the Madre de Dios Region, to the east by the ...

Ocongate District The Ocongate District is one of the twelve districts in the Quispicanchi Province in Peru. Created on January 2, 1857, its capital is the town of Ocongate. Geography The Willkanuta mountain range traverses the district. Some of the highest pea ...

. The mountain has significance in

Incan mythology Inca mythology or religion includes many stories and legends that attempt to explain or symbolize Inca beliefs. Basic beliefs Scholarly research demonstrates that Runa (Quechua speakers) belief systems were integrated with their view of the c ...

. Every year the

Quyllur Rit'i Quyllurit'i or Qoyllur Rit'i ( Quechua ''quyllu rit'i,'' ''quyllu'' bright white, ''rit'i'' snow, "bright white snow,") is a syncretic religious festival held annually at the Sinakara Valley in the southern highlands Cusco Region of Peru. Local i ...

(

Quechua Quechua may refer to: *Quechua people, several indigenous ethnic groups in South America, especially in Peru *Quechuan languages, a Native South American language family spoken primarily in the Andes, derived from a common ancestral language **So ...

for "star snow") festival which attracts thousands of

pilgrims is celebrated about 20 km north of the Ausangate at the mountain

Qullqipunku Jolljepunco (possibly from Quechua ''qullqi'' money, silver, ''p'unqu'' pond, reservoir, tank; dam, "silver pond"), Colquepunco (possibly from Quechua ''punku'' door, "silver door") or Sasahui (''sasawi'') local name for '' Leucheria daucifolia ...

. It takes place one week before the Corpus Christi feast. The region is inhabited by llama and alpaca herding communities, and constitutes one of the few remaining pastoralist societies in the world. High mountain trails are used by these herders to trade with agricultural communities at lower elevations. Currently, one of these trails, "the road of the Apu Ausangate", is one of the most renowned treks in Peru. The area has four major geological features, the Andean uplift formed by Granits, the hanging glaciers and glacial erosional valleys, the Permian formation with its singular colors: red, ochre, and turquoise and the Cretaceous, limestone forests.

Archaeological sites on the Ausangate and Vinicunca Route

* Colonial Bridge of Checacupe * Colonial Temple of Checacupe * Siwinaqocha * Laguna Ausangate * Ananiso Canyon * Rock Climbing - Huayllasqa * Uchullucllo Thermal Baths

The legend of the Ausangate Mountain

Protagonist of

legends A legend is a historical narrative, a symbolic representation of folk belief. Legend(s) or The Legend(s) may also refer to: Narrative * Urban legend, a widely repeated story of dubious truth * A fictitious identity used in espionage Books, co ...

told through generations since the

Inca Empire The Inca Empire (also known as the Incan Empire and the Inka Empire), called ''Tawantinsuyu'' by its subjects, ( Quechua for the "Realm of the Four Parts", "four parts together" ) was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. The adm ...

, the nevado is still venerated as a

divinity Divinity or the divine are things that are either related to, devoted to, or proceeding from a deity.divine< ...

(called

Apu (god) In the ancient religion and mythology of Peru, Ecuador, and Bolivia, an is the term used to describe the spirits of mountains and sometimes solitary rocks, typically displaying anthropomorphic features, that protect the local people. The term d ...

) by the inhabitants of its surroundings.

Gallery

File:Mountain pearls1.jpg, Handicraft seller in Ausangate, near Jampa Pass File:Mountain pearls2.jpg, Women of Ausangate, near Tinki village

References

{{Authority control Six-thousanders of the Andes Mountains of Peru Mountains of Cusco Region

Archaeological sites on the Ausangate and Vinicunca Route

The legend of the Ausangate Mountain

Gallery

See also

References