The summit cross
A spiral stair inside.
Andrés Franchi Ugart… — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Marcelo Campi from Costa de Oro, Uruguay — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Andrés Franchi Ugart… — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Andrés Franchi Ugart… — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Paola Kuciauskas — CC BY-SA 3.0
Cerro Pan de Azúcar, «Sugar Loaf Hill», is among the highest points in Uruguay, in the southwest of Maldonado Department near Piriápolis. Sources give its height as 389 to 423 m. A huge concrete cross tops its summit, and wide views run to the sea and plains, making it a favourite hill walk in a flat country. Its name goes back at least to 1717. In 1890 Francisco Piria took it into his land, and one slope became a granite quarry for building the resort, employing more than 500 workers. In 1933 the sculptor José Luis Zorrilla de San Martín and Father Engels Walters raised a 35 m cross on top. In 1980 a breeding centre for threatened animals was founded on its east side. A rocky path climbs from the south slope through trees and grass, then comes out onto big grey granite boulders. The slopes show Piriápolis, the coast and a blue line of sea. At the top stands the cross, with a spiral stair inside leading to its arms and small openings looking over the area. A flora and fauna reserve on the east side draws families. It is 6.4 km in a straight line from Piriápolis and 2.2 km from Castillo de Piria. The climb needs no special equipment but is steep in parts, so wear good shoes, bring water and start in the morning. Avoid the rocks after rain, when they get slippery. The stair inside the cross is narrow and may not suit anyone uneasy in tight spaces, so ask whether it is open.
A spiral stair inside.
Above the slopes.
Piriápolis and the sea.
Southwest of Maldonado Department
It needs no equipment but is steep in parts.
It has a spiral stair, so ask whether it is open.