San Pedro Hill

The climb rewards you with open air and sudden distance. Far below, the city spreads out across the flat valley floor, pale and wide and quiet from up here. Above you, with both arms held open to the sky, stands a vast white figure of Christ. This is San Pedro Hill, rising on the eastern edge of Cochabamba, and the statue that crowns it can be seen from almost every street in the city below.

The hill itself rises sharply and suddenly from the valley. For most of the year its steep slopes are dry and golden brown, dotted with low scrub and dust. At the very top sits the great statue called Cristo de la Concordia, a name that means Christ of Peace. It is the reason most people make the effort to come all the way up here, whether for faith or simply for the view.

You can reach the summit in two different ways. A cable car carries you smoothly up the slope in just a few quiet minutes, swaying gently above the rooftops. The other way is on foot, up a long stairway of many hundreds of stone steps. The cable car is easy and gives wide views as you rise. The stairs are real, hard work, and are best attempted in the cool of the early morning.

The statue is genuinely enormous, far larger than it looks from town. The figure itself stands 33.44 meters tall. It rests on a base of another 6.24 meters, for a total height very close to forty meters from the ground. When it was completed, it was the single largest statue of Christ anywhere in the world. It was modeled on the well-known Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, and built deliberately a little taller.

Two brothers designed the whole thing, César and Wálter Terrazas Pardo. Work began in 1987 and was finally finished in 1994. It took seven long years to complete from start to end. The figure is built from concrete and steel, shaped and raised right on the hilltop where it now stands. From the streets of the city far below, it appears small, smooth, and white against the wide open sky.

Up close, the true scale becomes very hard to take in all at once. You stand down at the feet and crane your neck to look up the full height of the figure above you. The open arms stretch out impossibly wide. On certain days, visitors are allowed to climb a narrow stair built inside the statue itself, up to a small viewpoint near the shoulders. From there, the whole valley opens out in every direction.

The view is the real reward for the climb. Cochabamba completely fills the valley floor, a neat grid of pale roofs broken up by green parks and squares. Beyond the edges of the city rise the dry brown hills, and on clear days, distant blue mountains stand behind them. From this height, the pattern of straight streets that the Spanish laid down centuries ago is suddenly easy to read all at once.

The light up here changes everything you see. In the early morning the air is clear and cool, and the whole city looks sharp and close. In the late afternoon the low sun turns the dry slopes a deep gold and throws long shadows down them. Many people deliberately come for sunset, when the valley below seems to glow, and the first scattered lights of the city begin to switch on in the dusk.

The hilltop itself is a calm and open place. There is a wide stone platform laid out all around the base of the statue. People walk slowly across it, take their photographs, and sit quietly on the low surrounding walls. Some come up here mainly to pray. Others come only for the view from the top. Either way, the mood is hushed and peaceful, a world away from the noise of the streets far below.

Bring a few simple, practical things with you. The sun is strong and direct at this height, so carry water and wear a hat to cover your head. The wind can also pick up sharply at the very top, so a light layer is wise to keep in your bag. If you choose to take the stairs up, give yourself plenty of time, and rest often along the way. There is really no need to rush.

A quiet word of care is worth adding here. It is best to visit up here in full daylight, and ideally with other people around you. The quieter back paths on the hill can feel a little isolated, and it is simply wise to keep your belongings close to you. That said, the great majority of visitors come and go without any trouble at all, drawn steadily up by the view and the great figure above.

Stand at the base of the statue as the day finally ends. The whole city hums away far below you, much too distant now to actually hear. The open arms of the great figure hold their wide and patient shape against the slowly fading sky. Whatever it is that you believe, the place gently asks you to slow right down and look out. The valley spreads out before you, and for one long moment the entire city feels small, and still, and clear.