The summits of the Andes have always had their place in the legends of the Altiplano. Here is the most known one, the one of Sajama, volcano culminating at over 6500 meters above sea level and located at the heart of the natural park of the same name (the first created in Bolivia, in 1941).
… A long time ago there was a ruthless war between the mountains. Huayna Potosi, Condoriri, Ancohuma and Illampu all had the same dream: to be highest amongst them all!
"Pacha", the creator, tired of these fights, ordered the end of the hostilities. At the time of the truce, Illimani was the great winner.
But an ambitious neighbor contested his victory. Troubled in his sleep, "Pacha" decided to punish the insolent by cutting his head off.
He used his terrible sling... all the summits, impressed made themselves very small, the wind generated by the cosmic arm burned the fresh scars they had inflicted on each other.
They then heard the hissing of the projectile and the deafening noise of the impact. When the dust finally settled, the whole superior part o the imprudent was missing.
It’s head rested far away on the Altiplano and men call him today Sajama, or "exiled" in Aymara.
As far as the remains, missing its head –and summit we can admire, takes the shape, not of a summit, but of a vast snowy plateau- its name is today Mururata, the decapitated...
To read also: Soccer on the top of the Andes
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