The Southern Andes

Chile's backbone, which separates Chile and Argentina is the Southern Andes mountains.  From the Atacama Desert in the north to the southern tip of South America, it is full of high peaks and snow-capped volcanoes as well.

Aconcagua is a mountain in the Principal Cordillera of the Andes mountain range shared by Chile and Argentina. It is the highest mountain in the Americas (#189 in the world), the highest outside Asia, and the highest in both the Southern and the Western Hemispheres with a summit elevation of 6,961 meters (22,838 ft). It lies 112 kilometers (70 miles) northwest of the provincial capital, the city of Mendoza, about five kilometers (three miles) from San Juan Province, and 15 km (9 mi) from Argentina's border with neighboring Chile. The mountain is one of the so-called Seven Summits of the seven continents.

Aconcagua is bounded by the Valle de las Vacas to the north and east and the Valle de Los Horcones Inferior to the west and south. The mountain and its surroundings are part of the Aconcagua Provincial Park. The mountain has a number of glaciers. The largest glacier is the Ventisquero Horcones Inferior at about 10 km (6 mi) long, which descends from the south face to about 3,600 meters (11,800 ft) in altitude near the Confluencia camp. Two other large glacier systems are the Ventisquero de las Vacas Sur and Glaciar Este/Ventisquero Relinchos system at about 5 km (3 mi) long. The most well-known is the north-eastern or Polish Glacier, as it is a common route of ascent.

It is believed to have the highest death rate of any mountain in South America – around three a year – which has earned it the nickname "Mountain of Death". More than 100 people have died on Aconcagua since records began. For the Incas, Aconcagua was a sacred mountain. As on other mountains, places of worship were built here and sacrifices, including human sacrifices, were made. The sites discovered in 1985 at an altitude of 5167 meters are among the highest in the world and are the most difficult of all Inca sites to reach. Here, the remains of a child bedded on grass, cloth, and feathers were found inside stone walls (Aconcagua mummy). The clothing indicates that the child was a member of the highest social class. Other offerings found included figures and coca leaves.

Photographed in 1993