Pichincha

Pichincha pēchēnˈchä [key], active volcano, 15,918 ft (4,852 m) high, N Ecuador, near Quito. Its most serious recent eruption was in 1998–2001. On its lower slopes, in the decisive battle of Pichincha on May 24, 1822, patriot forces under Antonio José de Sucre routed the Spanish royalists and freed the territory that was to become Ecuador.

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