Cajón del Maipo is a canyon

Canyon

A canyon or gorge is a deep ravine between cliffs often carved from the landscape by a river. Rivers have a natural tendency to reach a baseline elevation, which is the same elevation as the body of water it will eventually drain into. This forms a canyon. Most canyons were formed by a process of...

 located in the Andean southeastern portion of the Santiago Metropolitan Region

Santiago Metropolitan Region

Santiago Metropolitan Region or simply Metropolitan Region is one of Chile's 15 first order administrative divisions. It is the country's only landlocked administrative region and contains the nation's capital, Santiago...

, Chile

Chile

Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...

. It encompasses the upper Maipo River

Maipo River

Maipo River is the main river flowing through Santiago Metropolitan Region, Chile. Its headwaters are on the west slope of Maipo volcano, in the Andes. Its most famous tributary is Mapocho River. The Maipo River is by far the major source of irrigation and potable water for the region.-Course:In...

 basin, where the river has entrenched itself in a narrow valley. The zone features a series of confluent rivers such as El Volcán River, Yeso River

Yeso River

-References:*...

 and Colorado River, as well as other minor streams, including San Gabriel, Manzanito, Coyanco, El Sauce, El Manzano and San José. The main locality is San José de Maipo

San José de Maipo

San José de Maipo is the name of a commune in Chile and the city within it, located in Cordillera Province, Santiago Metropolitan Region, some 48 kilometers south-east of capital Santiago, bordered on the east by the Argentina, across the Andes.-Demographics:...

, capital of the commune that includes all of the Andean sector of the Metropolitan Region. The towns located here from the pre-Andean area until well within the Andes mountains are: La Obra, Las Vertientes (the two latter conurbated with the city of Santiago de Chile), El Canelo, El Manzano, Guayacán, San José de Maipo, El Melocotón, San Alfonso, El Ingenio, San Gabriel y Melosas, Los Maitenes, Alfalfal, El Romeral, Queltehues, El Volcán, Baños Morales and Lo Valdés.

See also

• Embalse El Yeso
  Embalse El Yeso
  Embalse El Yeso is a reservoir located in the Andes, in the Santiago Metropolitan Region, Chile. It is formed by the damming of Yeso River, part of Maipo River basin. The reservoir has a capacity of 250,000,000 m³....
  
  
• El Morado Natural Monument
  El Morado Natural Monument
  El Morado Natural Monument is a Chilean Natural Monument located in the Cajón del Maipo, Santiago Metropolitan Region. The monument is a glacial cirque and is part of the El Volcán River basin. Cerro El Morado dominates the landscape of this protected area. It is home to the San Francisco...
  
  
• Marmolejo
  Marmolejo
  Volcán Marmolejo is a high Pleistocene stratovolcano in the Andes on the border between Argentina and Chile. It is located NNE of the active San José volcano, and has the distinction of being the southernmost -plus peak in the world.- See also :...
  
  
• San José (volcano)
  San José (volcano)
  San José Volcano is the stratovolcano that gives its name to a massive volcanic group, at about from Santiago de Chile at the end of the Cajón de Maipo on the Chile-Argentina border...
  
  
• Maipo (volcano)
  Maipo (volcano)
  Maipo is a stratovolcano in the Andes, lying on the border between Argentina and Chile. It is located south of Tupungato and about southeast of Santiago....