Vinicunca Rainbow Mountain
Striped Andean peak of pink, gold and turquoise mineral bands, revealed within the last decade as snow retreated.
Location
About this audio guide
This guide to Vinicunca, the Rainbow Mountain above Cusco, opens with a question about the five-dollar ticket sold from a plywood booth at the trailhead: why does it have blood on it. It traces the mountain back to around 2012, when retreating ice first revealed the pink, gold and turquoise mineral bands underneath, and follows how quickly photographs of it turned an unmarked trail into a tourist route worth millions a year. From there it follows the dispute that split the village of Chillihuani, between a farmer and community leader named Flavio Illatinco, who wanted the government involved, and a rival faction that wanted the money kept inside the community. Look down at the ridge under your boots, invisible just over a decade ago.
This audio guide was created using AI.
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