Cordillera Yauyos and Siulá Grande, Cordillera Huayhuash. The Expeditión Barcelona was composed of the climbers Francisco Guillamón, Venancio López, Miguel Muñoz, Jorge Pons, the scientists Alberto Folch, Augusto Panyella, Eudaldo Serra, and myself as leader. We had the services of three Peruvian porters, Emilio and Víctor Angeles and Miguel Gómez. During the first phase of our expedition we investigated the hitherto unexplored Cordillera Yauyos, which lies about 80 air-miles southeast of Lima. Leaving the town of Yauyos, we marched two and a half days to reach Base Camp on the shores of Huascaicocha (lake) at 13,600 feet. From there we set up various high camps at different points and explored this totally virgin range. From June 12 to July 14 we made the following ascents: in the chain southeast of Base Camp, starting from the southwest and running toward the northeast, Puntas Yadoñe (5090 meters or 16,700 feet) and Santiago (5150 meters or 16,897 feet), Nevados Paulo VI (5430 meters or 17,815 feet), Canigó (5490 meters or 18,012 feet), Llongote (5781 meters or 18,967 feet), Virgen de la Merced (5475 meters or 17,962 feet) and Punta Balaitous (4950 meters or 16,240 feet) (This included all summits except for the peak between Liongote and Virgen de la Merced.); the two peaks south of Cotoni and northeast of Base Camp, from north to south, Joaquín Folch (5412 meters or 17,756 feet) and Tuctuni (5327 meters or 17,477 feet); the peaks which lie north of Base Camp in a semicircle around Ticllacocha, counterclockwise from the southwestern end, Pichahuacra (5490 meters or 18,012 feet), Punta Margalida (5250 meters or 17,225 feet), Cotoni (5817 meters or 19,085 feet), Atahualpa (5400 meters or 17,717 feet), Pedro Acuña (5360 meters or 17,586 feet), Sant Jordi (5460 meters of 17,914 feet), Rosa de Lima (5460 meters or 17,914 feet), Verdaguer (5390 meters or 17,684 feet) and Manuel Falla (5380 meters or 17,651 feet). (The last two summits of the chain were not climbed.) In the northernmost of three outliers from the main chains to the east we climbed Pica d’Estats (5200 meters or 17,061 feet) and in the southernmost Quepala Norte (5350 meters or 17,553 feet) and Quepala Sur (5360 meters or 17,586 feet). On Llongote we had to bivouac at 18,700 feet.

During the second phase of our expedition we left the town of Chiquián and after three days’ march reached the Caruacocha at the foot of the Cordillera Huayhuash, where we established Base Camp. There followed several days of exploration on the heavily crevassed Yerupajá Glacier. Finally in two days of climbing we placed our high camp at 17,700 feet near the col between Yerupajá and Siulá Grande. It took Pons, Muñoz and me four days and three bivouacs at 19,700 feet to reach the summit of the Nevado Siulá Grande (20,863 feet) on July 23 (first ascent by A. Awerzger and E. Schneider, July 28, 1936). It was a new route of extreme difficulty on the east face, which involved a snow and ice couloir of some 3000 feet rise and angles which reached 85°. Almost all the rope-lengths had to be belayed with ice screws and pitons. The descent was made down the dangerous northwest ridge, the first-ascent route.

The scientific group excavated archeological sites near Assoguine-Cata on Lake Titicaca and in the necropolis of Tablada de Lurin near Lima, made ethnological studies between the different ethnic and racial groups of the coast, the highlands and the jungles. Sr. Eudaldo Serra made eight anthropological sculptures.

José-Manuel Anglada, Club Montanes Barcelonés