In March 2024, Federico Caballero, representing the Club Andino Universitario, and I (from the Club Andino Leones de Montaña) opened a new route up the east ridge of Cerro De la Iglesia (4,297m, -32.80097, -70.09844), on the border between Chile and Argentina. The peak was first summited in 2015 by Lito Sanchez (Argentina) and Julian Quinteros (Colombia) via the north face.

After two failed attempts, in 2021 and 2022, on March 15 Federico and I followed the Juncalillo River into the southern cirque, past two glaciers and through a chute to a col on the east ridge at 4,159m, where we bivouacked. The next morning, we started up the ridge, and the first three pitches (5.8–5.9) went smoothly. The fourth pitch proved to be the crux, as we had to climb an unprotectable solid-mud wall. The fifth pitch brought us to the summit. To descend, we made five rappels back to the col and followed our approach path down.

As the route was climbed near Easter, we named it Via Cruxis (5.9) in reference to Via Crucis, the Way of the Cross, and to our joy in overcoming the crux pitch, which had shut us down twice before. 

—Álvaro Zerené, Chile