So when people think about Peru, they think of Cuzco and Machu Picchu. But the thing is that Peru is so diverse and it has so much to offer that it is sometimes sad to just have people know a country for just one tourist attraction. Although, I guess it is good that people at least know about Peru for Machu Picchu. I am in love with every part of Peru, and by the end of the semester, you will fall in love with all these beautiful places too.

So today I will be talking about Cuzco, but not about Machu Picchu since almost everyone knows about it. I will be talking about the marvelous “Montaña de siete colores” (mountain of seven colors), AKA Vinacunca, AKA Ausangante.

Ausangate is the fifth tallest mountain in Peru at 6,384 meters above sea level. So like every other place in Peru, there is a legend behind this mountain. The legend says that there were two brothers, Salcantay and Ausangate. They lived in Cuzco and at the time there was a very destructive draught that was killing their people so they decided to go find another land to get food from. Salcanaty went to the north/east towards the Amazons, that was when he met Veronica and fell in love and so he never went back to Cuzco. However, Ausagate went to the south and he found a land that was fertile so he was able to send tback a lot of food back to his people to keep them from dying. it was very hard to find this legend, that is why it might sound a little weird.

The mountain is sacred to the native people, they have daily worship and offerings. Along with worship, thousands of Quechua pilgrims go visit the Ausangate Mountain for the Star Snow festival help one week before the Corpus Christi feast.

The reason why there are many colors on the mountain is because of the minerals and the weather of the area. The area used to be covered by water about 65 to 2 million years ago, so the recession of water left those minerals behind. The red is indication of sedimentary layers of iron oxide rust, the white is limestone, the purples is silicates and clay, the green is copper oxide, and the yellow is a mineral combined with sulfur.

Even though the hike is very difficult due to the high altitude, it is very worth it. The colors of the mountain vary whether it is cloudy or sunny. Tourists didn’t go visit this place until just a few years ago. If you ever go to Cusco, or know anyone who is going, recommend them this wonderful place because it is totally stunning.