Cerro Arco is a peak in the foothills of the Andes mountain range, located in the outskirts of the city of

Mendoza, Argentina Mendoza (), officially the City of Mendoza (), is the capital of the Provinces of Argentina, province of Mendoza Province, Mendoza in Argentina. It is located in the northern-central part of the province, in a region of foothills and high plain ...

, in the municipality of El Challao, Las Heras Department. The peak has an elevation of 1668 meters; the trail to the summit climbs 543 meters. The peak is named after , a Chilean military engineer and banker originally from Spain. Arcos was a sergeant-major in General

José de San Martín José Francisco de San Martín y Matorras (; 25 February 177817 August 1850), nicknamed "the Liberator of Argentina, Chile and Peru", was an Argentine general and the primary leader of the southern and central parts of South America's succe ...

's army and contributed to the geographical survey of the Andes prior to their crossing. The area around the peak is used for hiking, mountain biking, and trail running, and the peak is known for the large amount of radio antennas on its summit. Legends about supernatural phenomena or characters are common in this sector of the foothills, such as the legend of the "Futre" or the energetic stone of Isidris. In September 2018 the hill suffered a fire due to dryness and human negligence, which caused significant damage to the forest (200,000 hectares affected) and uncertainty in the entire population bordering the hill.

Gallery

File:Interpretive sign at the start of Cerro Arco trail.jpg, Interpretive sign at the start of Cerro Arco trail File:View from the summit of Cerro Arco.jpg, View from the summit of Cerro Arco

References

{{coord, -32.8363, -68.9345, format=dms, type:mountain_region:AR, display=title Mountains of Argentina