Volcán Copiapó, pre-Columbian and Modem Ascents. This prominent volcano (6072 meters or 19,922 feet) is located on the Chilean-Argentinian border and west of the Ojos del Salado. In 1937 it was ascended by members of the Polish expedition that saw on the summit platform several constructions probably built by Indians. The peak was ascended several times afterwards but no examination of those constructions was made. In January 1980 an expedition of the Club Andino de Chile, Santiago, carried out a preliminary survey. Three years later, in 1983, a large civilian-military group of ten people including a woman, Cecilia Leal, climbed to the summit and completed a survey of findings, which were later analyzed by archaeologist Angel Durán. The climbers located several terraces, one of them with a retaining wall, fireplaces and an altar.

Humberto Barrera, Club Andino de Chile