The colorful mountain Pallay Punchu located at 4,650 meters above sea level, close to the Langui lagoon in Canas, 3 hours by car from Cusco city and then another 3 hours hike.
The locals also know this mountain as Apu Taqllo, Rainbow Mountain, Condor Sayana (Where the condor stand up or rests) was discovered in full quarantine by the villagers of Layo – Canas, while they have been making a routine tour of their territory. The locals consider a bleeding mountain that is covered with a colored poncho, woven by the weavers of the Andes, that’s where the name comes from “Pallay Punchu”
The colors of the colorful Mountain are due to the mineral composition that it has: pink color is due to the red clay, mud-stones (mud), and arillites (sand). whitish, due to the white quartz sandstone. The different browns and purples, by limonites and marls, rich in calcium carbonate.
Red is made up of clays (iron) and clays belonging to the upper tertiary. Green is due to the compound of phyllites and clays rich in magnesium ferro. The earthy brown is the product of the fanglomerate made up of rock with manganese from the Quaternary era. Finally, the mustard yellow color due to the calcareous sandstones rich in sulfur minerals.
