Cerro Pan de Azúcar (''Sugar Loaf Hill'') is among the top 10 highest points of

Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...

, with an altitude of 423 metres (1,387.8 ft).

Location and features

It is located southwest of

Maldonado Department The Maldonado Department ( es, Departamento de Maldonado; ), with an area of and 164,300 inhabitants (2011), is located to the southeast of Uruguay. Its capital is Maldonado. Geography and climate Neighbouring departments are Rocha to the Eas ...

, in the municipality of

Piriápolis Piriápolis is a city in the Maldonado Department of Uruguay. It is an important summer resort in the country, predating the larger and better known resort town of Punta del Este. Because it is mainly used as a resort, it has a relatively small per ...

, in a range of hills named

Cuchilla Grande Cuchilla Grande is a hill range that crosses the east part of Uruguay from north to south. It extends from the south part of Cerro Largo Department, through the departments of Treinta y Tres and Lavalleja and ends in Maldonado Department where it ...

. At the eastern feet of the hill and partly on its side, is the Reserva de Flora y Fauna del Pan de Azúcar, a

nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or ...

and zoo.Article about the nature reserve of Pan de Azúcar
/ref> On its summit, there is a cross made of cement, with a height of 35 metres (114.8 feet), visible from a considerable distance. The cross is visitable inside with a

spiral staircase Stairs are a structure designed to bridge a large vertical distance between lower and higher levels by dividing it into smaller vertical distances. This is achieved as a diagonal series of horizontal platforms called steps which enable passage ...

leading to the horizontal part of the cross, which offers view of the area through small openings.

History

In 1890 Don

Francisco Piria Fernando Juan Santiago Francisco María Piria de Grossi (Montevideo, 21 August 1847 - 11 December 1933) was a Uruguayan inventor, alchemist, writer, politician and businessman of Italian descent. He was notable for establishing the city and sea ...

, founder of the resort of

, had bought a big stretch of land including the Cerro Pan de Azúcar and stretching all the way to the beach. The hill was rich in granite and by his decision one of its slopes became a

quarry A quarry is a type of open-pit mine in which dimension stone, rock, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, gravel, or slate is excavated from the ground. The operation of quarries is regulated in some jurisdictions to reduce their envir ...

which provided solid granite rocks for the construction of the seaside resort, and which gave work to more than 500 workers. In 1933 the famous sculptor

José Luis Zorrilla de San Martín José Luis Zorrilla de San Martín (5 September 1891 – 24 May 1975) was a Uruguayan sculptor and painter. One of the pivotal sculptors from Uruguay, his most significant impact was through the monuments he created in the capital city of ...

together with father Engels Walters constructed a 35-metre cross on its top. In 1980 a nature conservation and breeding centre for animals threatened by extinction was founded on its east side.

Images

References

External links

Municipio de Maldonado

Cerro Pan de Azucar - Eco-Park
Inselbergs of South America Hills of Uruguay Landforms of Maldonado Department Protected areas of Uruguay Zoos in Uruguay {{Maldonado-geo-stub

Location and features

History

Images

See also

References

External links