Aconcagua Provincial Park

Geology and landscape

The Aconcagua Mountain represents the max Mt. Aconcagua stands for the maximum elevation in the Andes Mountain Range. Such height is not due to the formation of a volcanic structure as the case is with Mt. Tupungato and Mt. Maipo. Instead, it is dependent upon the overall lifting of the mountain chain.

The Main Mountain Range is 70Km. wide southwards the Diamante River. It narrows down northwards to 30Km. in the Park area. Conversely, heights decrease from north to south from over 6,000m to nearly 3,500m.

The landscape is featured by the structure: there is a piling up of different rocks ( On a geological basis, the mountain area is termed folded and displaced zone, since folding and displacement from their original position is precisely the process undergone by the different levels). The elevation decrease to reach a minimun height of 2,500 m accounts for the climatic characteristics and influences on the processes taking place.

Both the magnitude and the relative recentness of the Mountain Range lifting have caused outstanding relief projections. In addition, the rocks fracture along with the high- mountain climatic features and a scarce vegetable cover have given way to a notable physical alteration , mainly due to the action of ice and low temperatures . Ice has played a key role in the landscape shaping.

Glaciations in the Main Mountain Range are not as extensive as those found in the Patagonian glaciations, this due to the dominant aridity conditions. The glaciers mainly took up the valleys, thus shaping high-mountain ice caps only in the top elevations, such as the Mt. Aconcagua, Mt. Plomo and Mt. Juncal. On a comparative basis, the deposits given way to by the glaciers´ forward and backward movements ( moraine deposits) are not very large and are found in the main valleys and near the current glaciers.

Generally speaking, the current formations account for uncovered glaciers, comprising almost exclusively ice, detritus-covered glaciers - which are glaciers undergoing a slimming process and whose inner rubbles have come up to their surface thus covering them. This covering layer behaves as an active layer, that is, it can undergo independent movements and rubble glaciers, made up mainly of rocks.

The rocks in Mt. Aconcagua area can be classified into 3 groups, namely: one bearing a severely deformed stratum over 300 million years old; a second group of Mesozoic marine sediments, and last, volcanic rocks ( andesites ) dating back to the Tertiary Period and belonging to the so-called Aconcagua volcanic complex. The Quarternary materials are not very extensive : they are, namely: glacial -originated deposits , mass removal processes- originated deposits, lagoon-originated deposits , river-originated deposits and mixed deposits, amongst others.

In the Aconcagua area there stant out the Lower Horcones Glacier, originating in the foot of Mt. Aconcagua, the Upper Horcones Glacier, the Los Polacos or the Los Relinchos Glacier - a well known climbing route- and the Güssfeldt Glacier. In the past, there developed several significant ice spits. In the Confluencia area there used to converge huge ice bodies that were several kilometres long, the same coming from the Lower Horcones valley as well as Mt. Tolosa.

Ecological features

The reserve is comprised within the High Andean biogeographic range. Since it is an extremely high ecosystem featuring scarce rainfall, biodiversity is low. However, both animal and vegetable species living there and mainly concentrating in the lower areas ( up to about 4,000 m.a.s.l.) , hold a particular interest and furthermore show remarkable adaptations to altitute conditions.

The predominant flora is the steppe low bush- type, such as the leña amarilla, the yareta and the cuerno de cabra along with open pasturelands hosting huecú and coirones. In general terms, the vegetation has adapted to resist low temperatures, poor soils and snow and wind storms. All this accounts for its stunted and shrubby featuring. There are, however, flood plains whose soil holds plenty of water and there grows another type of vegetation.

The most typical animal species are the condor, the mora eagle, the mountain mice, the agachona and the red fox, furthermore, the typical amphibians and reptiles proper to high mountain aeras. There have been recorded over 60 species of birds in the Park. Both the flood plains and streams are frequented by chorlos, churrines and torrent ducks, which are skillful swimmers. There are large flocks of guanacos: the pumas, the major predators, lie in ambush for them. European hares are plentiful : they are exotic animals that they have grown wild.

As an adaptation to the cold weather, the animal species are in general big-sized : this prevents them from losing body heat. Mammals are wrapped up by a thick fur which protects them. Other species, such as guanacos, pumas and foxes , as well as the condor and the mora eagle, are able to migrate to lower areas during winter snowfalls, in search for milder weather conditions . Mountain mice as well as other sedentary species which are unable to travel long distances, hibernate in their holes during winter time.

Cultural heritage

No trace is kept of permanent native settlements but instead, of temporary indigenous populations who climbed in search for the flocks of guanacos. There are tracks of Inca cultures that worshipped Mt. Aconcagua, thus burying their noble people near its summit. Such Indian cemeteries were studied by archaeologists who analized the mummies, which happened to be very well preserved due to climate conditions. The current uses of the reserve are focussed on the fact that the Mt. Aconcagua is the highest peak in the western world, thus attracting mountaineers and tourists from all over the world.

An Inca Indian cemetery over 5,300m higher

The expedition that brought about the discovery of Mt. Aconcagua Indian cemetery was made up of Gabriel Cabrera, the Pierobon brothers- Fernando and Juan Carlos- and the Pizzolon brothers- Franco and Alberto. Such expedition was one of the four which, early in 1985 headed for Mt. Aconcagua from different places for the sake of commemorating the 50th. Anniversary of the Mendoza Mountain Climber Club. Fifteen days after the finding, on about January 23rd., 1985, off set the discoverers along with three members of the Archaeology Institute, namely: J. Ferrari, Eduardo Guercio and Víctor Durán, journalist Germán Bustos Herrera, mountain climber Ms. Silvia Centeleghe and archaeologist Juan Schobinger who was the expedition chief.

On January 28, after overcoming a thick wall , they finally reached the place of the finding. It is the above-mentioned ridge which, according to the altimeter, is 5,300m high. Such dividing line is the beginning of the triangular shaped wing wall called the ¨Pyramid¨. Some 50 meters further there starts a high thick wall that must have posed an unsurmountable obstacle for the indigenous people, should they have tried to climb on that way.

During two days they worked in the site, which was carefully surveyed and explored. They found two thick semicircular dry stoned-walls, almost demolished, and circle of stones which was one meter in diameter. . Sheltered by one of the dry stone walls there was a funeral bundle containing the tightly folded body of an about 7 year-old child. The same was half-buried due to part of the displacement of the earth. It was wrapped up by several textile pieces : the most outward piece was a cloak fully decorated with yellow feathers, very likely, parrot feathers.

What at first the mountain climbers regarded as ¨grass ¨, happened to be a bundle of yellow and black feathers that used to belong to a tuft . The skull showed an erosion-caused fracture since it had been out in the open. The brain, in turn, had gone to pieces due to dehydration.

After working for several hours, the bundle was carefully removed from the hard ¨ permafrost ¨ ( frozen soil ) it was placed in, and while J. Ferrari, the laboratory expert ,dealt with its packing and further preparation intended for the descent, another team devoted their efforts to the excavation, trying to reach the stone wall sideways. Shortly after, they were fortunate enough to find in the same stuffing where the mummy had been placed- six magnificent Inca-style statues. Three of them are human male figures, in their undamaged clothes and plumage, whose hights ( without the dressing ) amount to : namely : the first one, which is gold-plated, 59mm; the second one , silver and copper-alloyed, 52mm and the third one, made of Spondylus, that is a valve which is typical of the Pacific Ocean , 47mm.

The others were three small and slim llama figures: one of them was gold-plated while the other two were made of Spondylus - a material which was very dear to the Incas and which they called mullu - bearing a red streak on one side and a while one on the other. This ¨ dowry ¨ undoubtedly holds a token importance along with a direct connection with other high- mountain archaeological fields which have also rendered this type of statues. Both the extraction and the preliminary analysis of such an unexpected finding account for the crowning moment in their expedition.

Upon finishing the excavation of the funeral bundle, a pair of woven fibre sandals along with two small fibre bags were found. One of them held vegetable elements which, according to a later analysis carried out by botanist Fidel Roig, happened to be an unusual type of bean which had been cooked. ( It thus became quite obvious that it was a token food intended for the Great Beyond journey ).

Once the extraction of the small statues and the careful packing of the mummy were over, they had to hasten their way down due to bad weather conditions. The descent along the glacier took place in the middle of a snow storm.

Fortunately, and thanks to the mountain climbers´ expertise, they successfully reached the base camp. The rest of the return journey posed no problems, and they arrived in Mendoza City on January 31st. The funeral bundle was placed in a cooling chamber given by the LARLAC , run by Dr. Deis. Furthermore, one of his offices was laid at their disposal for later works.