A giant cemetery and memorial to the former town of Yungay (Yungay Viejo) that was destroyed by a landslide triggered by the infamous 1970 earthquake, Campo Santo is an attractive yet poignant spot that lies beneath the giant hulk of Mt Huscarán. Vast rose gardens bloom where busy thoroughfares once stood while gravestones and monuments mark the names of people and streets lost in the catastrophe.
You can follow a grassy path through the gardens to the site of the erstwhile Plaza de Armas, now overlooked by a replica of the old cathedral’s facade built to honor the dead. A ruined arch from the original church stands nearby. The site is dominated by a towering white statue of Christ standing on a knoll above the path of the aluvión (debris avalanche) that buried an estimated 25,000 people beneath 8m to 12m of soil.
