UJ #9 - Adventure in Peru

SACRED MOUNTAIN
Difficult, high and spectacular, three
well-chosen words to describe the
trek around Ausangate, the most
important mountain in the Andean cult
of mountain worship followed in Cusco.
If you're seeking these three variables,
culture and even comforts on the
journey, then look no further.
Eduardo Pedraza
By
Diego Oliver
“I’m from Cusco”, says photographer Diego Nishiyama,
“and Ausangate, as the tutelary deity and
protector of Cusco, has always been a part of our
lives. To have grown up with the mountain on the
horizon with its white cape, is something you appreciate
fully when you can finally walk among its
foothills and feel its majesty”.
Ausangate is not just any mountain. It is a god,
an apu, a being that gives life and is also capable
of taking it. It is the source of water to irrigate the
fields, enabling Andean communities to grow and
harvest food crops and so live in this area for many
generations. Trekking to Ausangate is to experience
the essence of Andean culture, to walk on sacred
soil and to understand the fundamental role it
has in native local beliefs.
It is also a challenge requiring great physical stamina,
amid some extraordinary scenery. It is much
more demanding than the Inca Trail, the most popular
trek in Cusco, and passes through much
more difficult terrain. For comparison purposes,
the highest pas on the Inca Trail is 4,200 m.a.s.l.,
while that on Ausangate is 5,200 m.a.s.l. The route
passes turquoise lakes, glaciers, glacial valleys,
moraines and snow-covered peaks that make up
the extraordinary scenery of the mountains and
Andean plateaus.
Shepherds from the
communities of Ausangate
accompany pilgrims on
their route round the
mountain.