Introduction

Immediately to the West of the small village Baños Morales, Cerro Chacaya rises with its rounded summit, just above the confluence of the Morales stream and the Volcán River, saluting everyone who ventures into the Morado Natural Reserve. It has an altitude of 2839 meters above sea level and its summit provides a spectacular view of the nearby peaks San Francisco, Morado, Loma Larga, Unión, Arenas, Volcán San José, Punta Zanzi, Corona, Retumbadero and many others. The Chacaya is the last mountain, from North to South, of the ridge which closes the Morales Valley on its West side.

Its name probably comes from the Mapuche name "Chacay" for a bush of the rhamnacea family (Chacaya trinervis). This bush may reach 4 meters of height and is found all along the precordillera of the Andes, between Chile´s IV^th and X^th regions.