Cerro Arequita

Cerro Arequita
Cerro Arequita ca. 2011.
Highest point
Elevation305 m (1,001 ft)
Coordinates34°17′27″S 55°16′01″W / 34.29083°S 55.26694°W / -34.29083; -55.26694
Naming
English translationCerro (Hill in Spanish); Arequita (Water falling from the high rock over the caves in Guaraní)
Language of nameSpanish/Guaraní
Geography
Cerro Arequita
Uruguay
Location10 km north of Minas,
Lavalleja Department,
Uruguay
Parent rangeCuchilla Grande
Geology
Mountain typeHill
Climbing
Easiest routeHike

Cerro Arequita is a hill located in Lavalleja Department, Uruguay.

Overview

Its name is of Guarani origin, meaning "water falling from the high rock over the caves".[1]

Since 2024 it is part of the National Park of Arequita, a nature sanctuary full of native species: armadillos, skunks, foxes, Geoffroy's cats, gray brockets, capybaras, river otters, nutrias, bats, chingolos, chalk-browed mockingbirds, dusky-legged guans, turkey vultures, savannah vultures.[2]

An endemic epiphyte flowering plant species is Tillandsia arequitae.[3]

In art

  • Carlos Federico Sáez painted this hill in 1899.
  • The Cerro Arequita is featured on both the coat of arms and the flag of Lavalleja Department.

Bibliography

  • Araújo, Orestes (2012). Diccionario geográfico del Uruguay (in Spanish). Montevideo.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)

References

  1. ^ Sequeira, Alejandro; Casaubou, Cristina; Olveira, Armando (July 2010). "Arequita" (PDF). Áreas protegidas del Uruguay (in Spanish). 2. Retrieved 15 February 2014.
  2. ^ "Áreas protegidas del Uruguay - Parque Arequita" (PDF). El País (in Spanish). 2 July 2010. Retrieved 16 October 2019.
  3. ^ "Tillandsia arequitae". Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew: World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. Retrieved 25 August 2025.