Its name derived from the curious forms of the rocky elevations of its summit, which are very common in the southern part of this country.

Until 1973, Cerro de las Ánimas (formerly known as Mirador Nacional), with an elevation of 501 m (1,644 ft), was considered the highest point of Uruguay.

However, in that year, a group of scientists of the Servicio Geográfico Militar (Military Geographic Service) changed the measure of Cerro Catedral.

In the highest areas of Cerro Catedral, the vegetation practically does not exist, with the sparse appearance of a shrub called Myrtus ugni between the rocks.

Above the altitude of 400 m (1,300 ft), tough grasses, xerophile vegetation, Baccharis articulata and marcela predominate.