Misti, El

Misti, El (ĕl mē`stē), dormant volcano, c.19,150 ft (5,840 m) high, in the Cordillera Occidental, S Peru, rising over the city of Arequipa. El Misti is flanked by two other volcanos—on the NW by Chachani, 19,960 ft (6,083 m) high, and on the SE by Pichu Pichu, 18,400 ft (5,608 m) high. El Misti, with its perfect snowcapped cone, apparently achieved significance in the Inca religion, and has often figured in Peruvian legends and poetry.