Veronica Snow Mountain, also known as Wakaywillque, is a big mountain in the Cusco area, and it's the tallest peak in the Urubamba mountain range. Its land is very rough, with steep sides that are more than 40 degrees steep, which makes it likely to have slides and avalanches.
Getting to the snow mountain means a walk that is a hard experience, but the views with Andean scenery around are really amazing. Also, it's one of the best places for rock climbing, bringing in adventurers who like this sport.
For the local people, this mountain is more than a pretty place: it's seen as a holy Apu, a spirit that protects the crops and farming balance in the Sacred Valley of the Incas.
Veronica Snow Mountain is 50 kilometers from the city of Cusco, northwest of Ollantaytambo on the border of the Urubamba and La Convencion areas.
The Verónica was originally called Waynawillca (Young Sagrada) and during the Inca period it had great ceremonial importance, since he was counted among the tutelary entities or Apus and was considered a protector of agriculture. In 1536, however, after rising up against his Spanish allies, Manco Inca was defeated at the hands of Francisco Pizarro, who forced him to leave Cuzco and take refuge in Vilcabamba, where he founded the independent empire of the same name. During his retreat, he crossed the Malaga pass, under the northeastern ridge of Waynawillca, which since then has been called Wakaywillque, which in Quechua means "Sacred Tear", in memory of the sadness over the loss of the empire and exile. of the Inca dynasty. Later, the Spaniards related the Quechua name to the "Llorona Verónica", a legend of the Verónica Mountain widely spread in colonial America and which explains the name by which the massif is currently known.
The first recorded climb on the snow mountain happened in 1956, during a trip made by people from different countries. It included the French climber Lionel Terray, the Dutch climbers Geoffrey Egeler and Tom de Booy, the Swiss climber Raymond Jenny, and the Peruvian climber Eliseo Vargas. The group made it to the top by climbing the north side of the mountain.
Later, in 1974, the British climber Richard Toon and the American climber Tom Hendrickson reached the top by the south side, making a new way to the top.
Finally, one of the most important things done only by Peruvian mountain climbers happened in 2009. Alfredo Zúñiga and Jorge Sirvas, both from Cusco, made it to the top after three days of hard travel. This showed the skill and determination of the local mountain climbers.
The classic story of the brothers who take different paths: Well, “They say that Salkantay Glacier and Ausangate Glacier were brothers, who lived in Cusco and after a severe drought, the brothers ventured into strange lands to save their people from a harsh drought. Salkantay went north and found the jungle and there the legend of forbidden love of Veronica Mountain; On the other hand, Ausangate went south to the highlands and found great production of Andean products and from there sent camelid meat, corn, potatoes, among others. Only in this way could he save the town of Cusco”.
«… And so after leaving the Qosqo valley in search of food for his people, Salcantay arrived in the land of the Antis, where he met the beautiful and young princess Huaynawillca. The two young men fell in love on the spot, to the disapproval of the warrior Anti people, who decided to expel Salcantay from their lands. Faced with the threat to their love, the two young men decided to flee towards the Qosqo valley, where Salcantay was respected and they could live together forever, however, the Anti people, feeling mocked, chased the bride and groom to the peaks of the mountain range. , where they sacrificed their own princess, preferring her dead to that in the arms of Salcantay. The Cusco warrior, furious at the death of his beloved, began a fierce fight against the Anti people, whom he completely exterminated. The gods, faced with such a great bloodshed, decided to turn Salcantay into a mountain, so that it would not harm men more, could feed its people and take care of Waynawillca, which was also turned into a mountain ... »(Traditional legend Cuzco from Verónica Mountain)
As witnesses to this legend of Verónica Mountain, we can only tell both mountains located in the Cusco region, mute narrators of a story that we can only imagine.
The area has an average temperature between 10 ° C to 13 ° C.
The highest peak of Veronica Mountain is 5,800 meters above sea level.
Verónica Mountain was ascended for the first time in 1956, in an expedition made up of the French Lionel Terray, the Dutch Geoffrey Egeler and Tom de Booy, as well as the Swiss Raymond Jenny and the Peruvian Eliseo Vargas, they climbed up the north side of the Mountain.
In 1974, the British Richard Toon and the American Tom Hendrickson made the ascent up the south side of the snowy mountain. As for the ascent, only by an expedition of Peruvians, it was in 2009, by the Cusqueños Alfredo Zúñiga and Jorge Sirvas, they after 3 days of route were able to achieve the feat.
To get to Verónica Mountain, you must go by bus from the city of Cusco to the Ollantaytambo district, precisely to the town of Piscacucho, where the trek to the mountain begins. There are a total of 20 kilometers that are completed in 1 hour to 2 hours.
