Anticona, Mountain summit in Huarochiri Province, Peru
Anticona is a mountain summit in the Peruvian Andes that rises to 5,150 meters and stands between the regions of Lima and Junin. The peak sits along a historic railway route that winds through this challenging highland terrain.
The mountain played a key role in the development of the Ferrocarril Central Andino, a railway line built in the second half of the 1800s. This ambitious project surpassed all other rail installations of its time in elevation and technical complexity.
The Ernest Malinowski Monument at the mountain peak commemorates the Polish engineer who designed the complex railway system through the Peruvian Andes.
Visitors should acclimatize to the altitude since atmospheric pressure drops to roughly half that of sea level, which can cause headaches and breathing difficulties. Climbing slowly and allowing time for your body to adjust is wise, especially if coming from lower elevations.
The railway through the pass contains eight tunnels within just 3.2 kilometers, showing how engineers tackled the difficult terrain. This dense sequence of tunnels was one of the most inventive solutions for building through such challenging mountainous land.
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