Mount Aneto and the "Cursed Mountains" in the religiosity and folklore of the Pyrenees

MARÍA CONSTANZA CERUTI

Berna

Congreso; European Association of Archaeologists 2019; 2019

Universidad de Berna

Mount Aneto rises 3404 meters above sea level and it is the highest mountain in the Pyrenees. It crowns a large massif of diverse granite peaks and glacier lagoons, known as The Cursed Mountains (Montes Malditos). The ascent of Aneto is considered an alpine climb, due to the prominence of the peak, the altitude of the summit, the extension of the glacier to be traversed and the frightful crossing of an eerie rocky crest known as Mahoma ́s pass. A circular structure about 3 meters wide has been built on the summit of Aneto, which houses a distinctive cross, an image of Virgin Mary del Pilar and a small statue of Saint Anthony, in addition to numerous Tibetan prayer flags and personal objects transported by the climbers. In this communication I intend to explore the religious and spiritual dimensions of mount Aneto, which oftentimes go unnoticed, in view of the importance of the peak as a destination for sportive climbing and mountaineering. The sacredness attributed to this emblematic mountain is revealed in the materiality of the objects deposited on the summit (and the tensions that they reflect and create), as well as in the Pyrenean folklore which copes with the more threatening aspects of the cursed mountains by means of cautionary tales and moralizing religious images.