Uspallata Pass
Overview
The pass has been used since colonial times as the most direct link between the Pacific seaport of Valparaiso and the Atlantic port of Buenos Aires, avoiding the 11-day, {{convert|5630|km|mi|0|abbr=on}} journey by sea, via Cape Horn, between the two ports. In 1817 it was used by the Army of the Andes to cross the Andes, in the campaign to free Chile from the Spanish Empire.
Reaching a maximum elevation of about {{convert|3830|m|ft|0|abbr=on}},{{cite book |last1=Brawer |first1=Moshe |title=Atlas of South America |date=1991 |publisher=Simon & Schuster |location=New York |isbn=978-0-13-050642-9 |page=13 |url=https://archive.org/details/atlasofsouthamer00braw/page/13 |access-date=23 January 2024}} the pass runs between the peaks of the {{convert|6962|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} Aconcagua to the north and the {{convert|6570|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} Tupungato to the south.
In the 1990s it was the most used pass in all of South America. A railroad tunnel built by the now defunct Transandine Railway (1910–1982) runs underneath. The Pan-American Highway runs through the nearby Cristo Redentor Tunnel (in Spanish: Paso Internacional Cristo Redentor) and a monument, Christ the Redeemer of the Andes ("Cristo Redentor de los Andes" in Spanish) is located at the pass.
See also
{{Portal|Andes}}
References
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External links
{{commonscat-inline|Paso Libertadores}}
{{Mountain Passes of the Andes}}
{{coord|32|48|S|70|01|W|source:eswiki_region:AR|display=title}}
Category:Argentina–Chile border crossings
Category:Landforms of Mendoza Province
Category:Landforms of Valparaíso Region
Category:Mountain passes of the Andes
Category:Mountain passes of Argentina
Category:Mountain passes of Chile
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