 Cristo de la Concordia, Cochabamba
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Cristo de la Concordia (Christ of Peace) statue is the tallest statue of Christ in South America (and quite likely, the world). Although it is less well-known than the Cristo Redentor (Christ the Redeemer) statue in Rio de Janeiro, it is actually a little taller. I once thought it was the highest statue of Christ, but was wrong - that honor goes to the Cristo Redentor statue at the border between Chile and Argentina.
The statue of Cristo de la Concordia is located in the city of Cochabamba, the third largest city in Bolivia. To reach it, one needs to take a cable car from the end of Heroinas Avenue.
Cristo de la Concordia, Cochabamba
Author: C Maranon (Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic)
Both Cristo de la Concordia and Cristo Redentor statues are about 33m in height, and both have their hands outstretched in the form of welcome or embrace. Each meter in height was chosen to represent one year in Christ's life on earth.
The reason the Cristo de la Concordia statue is a few centimetres over 33m is because the builders claimed that Jesus lived a little over 33 years. To be exact, Christo de la Concordia statue is 34.2m high. It stands on a podium so the entire height comes to 40.44m.
The Cristo de la Concordia statue is farely recent compared to Cristo Redentor. It was built between 1987 and 1994. In comparison, Cristo Redentor was completed in 1932. Cristo de la Concordia sits on a hill that is 265m tall over the city of Cochobamba, which is already 2575m above sea level. Hence, the base of the statue is 2840m above sea level, making it one of the highest statues of major size anywhere in the world.
To reach the base of the statue, one can either climb the stairs (consider before embarking, there are 1,399 steps to be negotiated) or take the cable car (which only costs 3 BOB, less than fifty US cents). At such an altitude, some people may experience altitude sickness, so it is wise to acclimatise if you have just arrived at such a height.
There isn't a coffee shop or restaurant at the top of the hill, so most people don't stay here for long.
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