El Altar

El Altar or Capac Urcu (possibly from Kichwa kapak principal, great, important / magnificence, urku mountain)^[3][4] is an extinct volcano on the western side of Sangay National Park in Ecuador, 170 km (110 mi) south of Quito, with a highest point of 5,319 m (17,451 ft). Spaniards named it so because it resembled two nuns and four friars listening to a bishop around a church altar. In older English sources it is also called The Altar.^[5]

El Altar
Capak Urcu
El Altar in 2006
Highest point
Elevation	5,319 m (17,451 ft)[1]
Prominence	2,072 m (6,798 ft)[1]
Listing	Ultra List of volcanoes in Ecuador
Coordinates	01°39′48″S 78°24′33″W[1]
Geography
El Altar Ecuador
Parent range	Andes
Geology
Rock age	Pliocene-Pleistocene
Mountain type	Stratovolcano (extinct)
Last eruption	Unknown
Climbing
First ascent	7 July 1963 by Marino Tremonti, Ferdinando Gaspard and Claudio Zardini[2]
Easiest route	rock/ice climb

Geology

El Altar consists of a large stratovolcano of Pliocene-Pleistocene age with a caldera breached to the west. Inca legends report that the top of El Altar collapsed after seven years of activity in about 1460, but the caldera is considered to be much older than this by geologists. Nine major peaks over 5,000 metres (16,400 ft) form a horseshoe-shaped ridge about 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) across, surrounding a central basin that contains a crater lake at about 4,200 m (13,800 ft), known as Laguna Collanes or Laguna Amarilla.

Laguna Collanes or Laguna Amarilla

Access and recreation

El Altar is perhaps the most technically demanding climb in Ecuador. The route to the El Obispo summit is graded D+.^[6] December through February are the best months to attempt an ascent. Much more accessible is the hike to the lake within the caldera of the mountain. From Riobamba, one takes a bus for about an hour to Candelaria and then checks in at the ranger station to enter the Sangay park. About 4–7 hours of an extremely muddy trail (knee-high rubber boots are recommended) leaves one at the refuge belonging to Hacienda Releche, which can be rented. The refuge has many beds, and a kitchen. To hike to the lake is another 1.5h - 2 hours from the refuge across a valley and up a steep hill.

List of peaks

The nine peaks of El Altar, starting with the highest summit on the south side and proceeding counterclockwise:

Peak name	Translation	Elevation	Direction from lake	First ascent
Obispo	Bishop	5,319 m (17,451 ft)	South	July 7, 1963, Ferdinando Gaspard, Marino Tremonti, Claudio Zardini
Monja Grande	Great Nun	5,160 m (16,929 ft)	Southeast	August 17, 1968, Bill Ross and Margaret Young
Monja Chica	Small Nun	5,080 m (16,667 ft)	East-Southeast	January 16, 1971, Peter Bednar and party
Tabernáculo	Tabernacle	5,180 m (16,995 ft)	East
Fraile Oriental	Eastern Friar	5,060 m (16,601 ft)	East-Northeast	September 28, 1979, Fernando Jaramillo, Danny Moreno, Luis Naranjo, Hernán Reinoso, Mauricio Reinoso and Marcos Serrano
Fraile Beato	Devout Friar	5,050 m (16,568 ft)	East-Northeast
Fraile Central	Central Friar	5,070 m (16,634 ft)	Northeast
Fraile Grande	Great Friar	5,180 m (16,995 ft)	North-Northeast	December 1, 1972, Lorenzo Lorenzi, Armando Perron, Marino Tremonti
Canónigo	Canon	5,260 m (17,257 ft)	North	March 7, 1965, Ferdinando Gaspard, Lorenzo Lorenzi, Marino Tremonti, Claudio Zardini

See also

• Geography portal
• South America portal
• Ecuador portal
• Mountains portal
• Volcanoes portal

• Geography of Ecuador
• List of mountains in Ecuador
• List of Ultras of South America
• Lists of volcanoes
  • List of volcanoes in Ecuador