mountain peak of the Andes of west-central Peru. The snowcapped peak rises to 22,205 feet (6,768 m) above sea level in the Cordillera Blanca, east of the Peruvian town of Yungay. It is the highest mountain in Peru and is a favourite of mountaineers and tourists. In 1962 a thaw caused a portion of the sheer north summit to break off, resulting in an avalanche that destroyed several villages and killed about 3,500 persons. In 1970 a severe earthquake caused landslides that buried 10 villages and most of Yungay; tens of thousands of people were killed in one of the worst natural disasters of the 20th century.