Coropuna, Stratovolcano in Arequipa, Peru.
Coropuna extends across 1000 square kilometers in the Ampato range and displays six separate summit cones with an extensive ice cap above. The highest point reaches 6377 meters , while the glaciers gradually retreat due to climate shifts.
The first documented expedition took place in 1911 when Annie Peck and Hiram Bingham III independently tried to measure its height. Scientists later recognized that the summit had been visited in earlier centuries as part of religious activities.
The name in Quechua translates to
The ascent to the summit takes four days with required acclimatization stops at base camp and high camp at different elevations. Climbers should start early in the dry season between May and September when weather becomes more stable and snow conditions are more favorable.
Archaeological evidence found at 6200 meters shows that Indigenous people reached near the summit centuries before European expeditions. This discovery confirms the remarkable adaptation skills and knowledge the Inca had about extreme altitude environments long before modern climbing equipment existed.
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