Ausangate
Encyclopedia
Ausangate is a mountain
of the Cordillera Vilcanota range in the Andes
of Peru
. With an altitude of 6,384 metres it is situated around 100 kilometres southeast of Cusco
.
The mountain has significance in Incan mythology. Every year on the north side of Ausangate the feast of Qoyllur Rit'i
(Quechua: "snow star") is celebrated before the feast of the Corpus Christi
, during which thousands of Quechua pilgrims attend.
The mountain was ascended by Heinrich Harrer
in 1953.
The region in 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 this herders, to trade with the lower elevation agricultural communities, modernly one of this trails "the road of the Apu Ausangate" is one of the most renowned treks in Peru.
The area has 4 major geological features, the Andean uplift formed by Granits, the hanging glaciers and glaciar erotional valleys, the Permian formation with its singular colors, reds,ocre, turcoise and the Creatceous,lime stone forests.
Mountain
Image:Himalaya_annotated.jpg|thumb|right|The Himalayan mountain range with Mount Everestrect 58 14 160 49 Chomo Lonzorect 200 28 335 52 Makalurect 378 24 566 45 Mount Everestrect 188 581 920 656 Tibetan Plateaurect 250 406 340 427 Rong River...
of the Cordillera Vilcanota range in the Andes
Andes
The Andes is the world's longest continental mountain range. It is a continual range of highlands along the western coast of South America. This range is about long, about to wide , and of an average height of about .Along its length, the Andes is split into several ranges, which are separated...
of Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
. With an altitude of 6,384 metres it is situated around 100 kilometres southeast of Cusco
Cusco
Cusco , often spelled Cuzco , is a city in southeastern Peru, near the Urubamba Valley of the Andes mountain range. It is the capital of the Cusco Region as well as the Cuzco Province. In 2007, the city had a population of 358,935 which was triple the figure of 20 years ago...
.
The mountain has significance in Incan mythology. Every year on the north side of Ausangate the feast of Qoyllur Rit'i
Qoyllur Rit'i
Qoyllur Rit'i is a religious festival held annually in honor of the Lord of Qoyllur Rit'i at the Sinakara Valley in the Cusco Region of Peru. According to local traditions, the celebration originated in 1780, when a young native herder called Mariano Mayta befriended a mestizo boy, called Manuel...
(Quechua: "snow star") is celebrated before the feast of the Corpus Christi
Corpus Christi (feast)
Corpus Christi is a Latin Rite solemnity, now designated the solemnity of The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ . It is also celebrated in some Anglican, Lutheran and Old Catholic Churches. Like Trinity Sunday and the Solemnity of Christ the King, it does not commemorate a particular event in...
, during which thousands of Quechua pilgrims attend.
The mountain was ascended by Heinrich Harrer
Heinrich Harrer
Heinrich Harrer was an Austrian mountaineer, sportsman, geographer, and author.He is best known for his books Seven Years in Tibet and The White Spider .-Athletics:...
in 1953.
The region in 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 this herders, to trade with the lower elevation agricultural communities, modernly one of this trails "the road of the Apu Ausangate" is one of the most renowned treks in Peru.
The area has 4 major geological features, the Andean uplift formed by Granits, the hanging glaciers and glaciar erotional valleys, the Permian formation with its singular colors, reds,ocre, turcoise and the Creatceous,lime stone forests.