Cerro El Morado, Mountain summit in Cajón del Maipo, Chile

Cerro El Morado is a mountain summit in the Andes east of Santiago, featuring steep rocky slopes and a glacier on its northern face. The peak presents varied terrain, from scree fields to iced sections on the opposite side.

Sebastián Krückel and Otto Pfenniger, of Santiago's Club Alemán Andino (DAV), made the first ascent on 22 December 1933, entering by the Yeso valley and the Cortaderas stream to the northeast face. On 4 March 1942 Carlos Píderit and Jorge Silva Píderit reached the top by the east face, approaching from the Morado stream. The south summit (4,490 m per IGM) was first climbed in 1934 by Tietzen and Juan Melschner.

Local climbers view this summit as a key training location before attempting harder peaks in the Andes. Visitors experience the mountain as a place where people work toward mastering high-altitude climbing.

The best climbing season runs from September through May, when ice and snow create fewer obstacles. Visitors should expect thin air and allow time for gradual acclimatization before the ascent.

The south face was first climbed on 4 March 1961 by César Vásquez and Juan Tangol, a feat considered one of Chile's outstanding climbs of the era. By 2003 only eight ascents of this wall were recorded, the last by Felipe González Donoso alone on 29 December 2003.