Cerro Uritorco 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 t ...

(''cerro'') located next to the Calabalumba River, in the city of

Capilla del Monte Capilla del Monte is a small city in the northeastern part of the provinces of Argentina, province of Córdoba Province (Argentina), Córdoba, Argentina, located by the Sierras Chicas mountain chain, in the northern end of the Punilla Valley. It ha ...

, in the northwest of the

province A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

Córdoba Córdoba most commonly refers to: * Córdoba, Spain, a major city in southern Spain and formerly the imperial capital of Islamic Spain * Córdoba, Argentina, the second largest city in Argentina and the capital of Córdoba Province Córdoba or Cord ...

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

. It is the highest peak of the Sierras Chicas mountain range. It is 3 km (1.9 miles) away from the city center and its summit is at 1,949 m (6,394 ft)

above mean sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of a location's vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) in reference to a vertical datum based on a historic mean sea level. In geodesy, it is formalized as orthometric height. The zero level ...

. The name ''Uritu urqu'' means "Male Hill" in Santiago del Estero Quichua, which is, however, not the aboriginal

Comechingón Comechingón (plural Comechingones) is the common name for a group of people indigenous to the Argentina, Argentine Provinces of Argentina, provinces of Córdoba Province (Argentina), Córdoba and San Luis Province, San Luis. By the end of the ...

language.

Cerro Uritorco is under a private administration and it can be accessed by the public for a fee. It is considered a medium-difficulty ascent, taking around three hours to reach the top, provided the appropriate

hiking A hike is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century. Long hikes as part of a religious pilgrimage have existed for a much longer time. "Hi ...

path is followed. On December 21, 2012, the mountain was closed, since a mass suicide had been proposed on

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to take place there due to the

2012 phenomenon The 2012 phenomenon was a range of eschatological beliefs that cataclysmic or transformative events would occur on or around 21 December 2012. This date was regarded as the end-date of a 5,126-year-long cycle in the Mesoamerican Long Count ...

. The mountain is believed to be a center of extraterrestrial activity and home to an underground city named Erks, which is inhabited by extraterrestrial beings. The mysticism around the alleged UFO activity in the mountain and its surroundings have made the area a popular landmark in the province of Córdoba.

References

External links

Cerro Uritorco
(non official website) Mountains of Argentina Landforms of Córdoba Province, Argentina 2012 phenomenon {{CórdobaAR-geo-stub