Cristo Redentor Tunnel

Los Libertadores Pass
Switchbacks on the Chilean side of the pass
Elevation	3,200 m (10,499 ft)
Location	Argentina–Chile border
Range	Andes

Coordinates: 32°49′38″S 70°05′32″W / 32.82724°S 70.09213°W / -32.82724; -70.09213

The Paso Internacional Los Libertadores, also called Cristo Redentor, is a mountain pass in the Andes between Argentina and Chile. It is the main transport route out of the Chilean capital city Santiago into Mendoza city in Argentina and so carries quite heavy traffic.

From the Argentine side the route to the pass is a slow, gentle incline until entering a tunnel at approximately 3,200 meters (10,500 feet) elevation. On the Chilean side the slope has a far higher grade, and the road descends down a long series of switchbacks to make the descent.

Opened in 1980, the Tunnel of Christ the Redeemer (Spanish: Túnel Cristo Redentor) is 3,080 m (10,105 ft) long, and serves as an important land crossing between Chile and Argentina. At the middle of the tunnel is the national border, which is the termini of Chile Route 60 and Argentina Route 7. The path can be closed during winter because of heavy snows blocking both ends and the threat of rockfall.

Its name comes from the four ton Christ the Redeemer of the Andes (Cristo Redentor de los Andes) statue placed in 1904 near the Uspallata pass at an elevation of 3,832 m (12,572 ft). The pass was the highest point of the road before the opening of the tunnel lowered the maximum elevation by 600 m (1,969 ft), eliminated 65 switchbacks and shortened the route by 10 km (6 mi).