Uspallata Pass

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The Uspallata Pass or Bermejo Pass is an Andean pass which provides a route between the wine-growing region around the Argentine city of Mendoza and Santiago the Chilean capital situated in the central Chilean valley. The pass has been used since Colonial times as the most direct link between the Pacific seaport of Valparaiso and the Atlantic port of Buenos Aires, avoiding the 11 day, 5,630 km (3,498 mi) journey by sea, via Cape Horn, between the two ports. Reaching a maximum altitude of about 3,810 m (12,500 ft), the pass runs between the peaks of the 6,962 m (22,841 ft) Aconcagua to the north and the 6,570 m (21,555 ft) Tupungato to the south.

Today, the Uspallata Pass provides a major transportation link between Chile and Argentina and a railroad tunnel built by the now defunct Transandine Railway (1910–1982) runs underneath. The Pan-American Highway runs through the near-by Cristo Redentor Tunnel (in Spanish: Paso Internacional Cristo Redentor) and a monument, Christ the Redeemer of the Andes ("Cristo Redentor de los Andes" in Spanish) is located at the pass.