Cerro Pan de Azúcar (''Sugar Loaf Hill'') is among the top 10 highest points of

Uruguay Uruguay, officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast, while bordering the Río de la Plata to the south and the A ...

, with an altitude of 423 metres (1,387.8 ft).

Location and features

It is located southwest of

Maldonado Department The Maldonado Department (; ), with an area of and 212,951 inhabitants (2023), is located to the southeast of Uruguay. Its capital is Maldonado, Uruguay, Maldonado. Geography Neighbouring departments are Rocha Department, Rocha to the East, Lav ...

, in the municipality of

Piriápolis Piriápolis is a city in the Maldonado Department of Uruguay. It is an important summer resort in the country, predating the larger and better known resort town of Punta del Este. Because it is mainly used as a resort, it has a relatively small per ...

, in a range of hills named

Cuchilla Grande Cuchilla Grande is a hill range that crosses the east part of Uruguay from north to south. It extends from the south part of Cerro Largo Department, through the departments of Treinta y Tres and Lavalleja and ends in Maldonado Department where it ...

. At the eastern feet of the hill and partly on its side, is the Reserva de Flora y Fauna del Pan de Azúcar, a

nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, funga, or features of geologic ...

and zoo.Article about the nature reserve of Pan de Azúcar
/ref> On its summit, there is a cross made of cement, with a height of 35 metres (114.8 feet), visible from a considerable distance. The cross is visitable inside with a

spiral staircase Stairs are a structure designed to bridge a large vertical direction, vertical distance between lower and higher levels by dividing it into smaller vertical distances. This is achieved as a diagonal series of horizontal platforms called steps wh ...

leading to the horizontal part of the cross, which offers view of the area through small openings.

History

In 1890 Don Francisco Piria, founder of the resort of

, had bought a big stretch of land including the Cerro Pan de Azúcar and stretching all the way to the beach. The hill was rich in granite and by his decision one of its slopes became a

quarry A quarry is a type of open-pit mining, open-pit mine in which dimension stone, rock (geology), rock, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, gravel, or slate is excavated from the ground. The operation of quarries is regulated in some juri ...

which provided solid granite rocks for the construction of the seaside resort, and which gave work to more than 500 workers. In 1933 the famous sculptor José Luis Zorrilla de San Martín together with father Engels Walters constructed a 35-metre cross on its top. In 1980 a nature conservation and breeding centre for animals threatened by extinction was founded on its east side.

Images

References

External links

Municipio de Maldonado

Cerro Pan de Azucar - Eco-Park
Inselbergs of South America Hills of Uruguay Landforms of Maldonado Department Protected areas of Uruguay Zoos in Uruguay {{SouthAm-mountain-stub

Location and features

History

Images

See also

References

External links