Cuenca (Ecuador) - Cuenca (Ecuador)

Disambiguation - For toponyms of identical name, see Cuenca (disambiguation).

Cuenca is a city ofEcuador, located in the region of Sierra.

To know

Capital of the province of Azuay, Cuenca is nicknamed "Athens of theEcuador"for its interesting colonial architecture, for its contributions to the arts, sciences, letters and for having been the birthplace of many illustrious personalities of society Ecuadorian.

Cuenca is considered a pleasant and also lively city thanks to the population of young people who attend the courses of its university institutes. The city also has a respectable historic center declared a World Heritage Site in 1999.

In terms of shopping, the city and i pueblos surroundings have a lot to offer. Cuenca is particularly renowned for the production of Panama hats.

Geographical notes

Cuenca is located on the plateau of the same name, in the region of Southern Sierra and at an average altitude of 2,550 m a.s.l. Four rivers cross the city, Tomebamba, Yanuncay, Tarqui and Machángara which join their waters a few kilometers northeast of the city center to form the Cuenca River, an indirect tributary of the Amazon River. The highest peak in the area is the Nudo del Cajas of 4500 m. which rises in the Cajas National Park, about thirty kilometers east of Cuenca.

When to go

Being close to the equatorial line, Cuenca has only two seasons, determined by the rainfall regime: the dry season falls in the period from June to December while the wet one, characterized by sunny mornings and afternoon showers, lasts from January to May.

For the rest, Cuenca enjoys a climate of eternal spring with temperatures ranging between 7 and 25 ° C, ideal for the cultivation of flowers, in particular orchids that are exported all over the world.

The only drawback is the weather is fickle and sudden showers accompanied by sensitive temperature variations can occur within a single day even during the dry season.

Background

The city was founded in 1557 by the Spanish explorer Gil Ramírez Dávalos on commission from Andrés Hurtado de Mendoza (About 1500 - 1561), born in the city Spanish of Cuenca and at that time viceroy of Peru.

The colonial city was built on the site of Tomebamba, a city-state of the Inca empire destroyed in 1532 during the civil war for the succession to the throne that opposed Atahualpa to his brother Huáscar.

During the nearly three centuries of colonial rule, Cuenca developed thanks to the industriousness of its inhabitants, mostly mestizos, who showed a particular propensity for weaving and metalworking.

In 1730 a mission from the French Academy of Sciences arrived in Cuenca and in 1778 the first population census was carried out.

The date of November 3, 1820 marked the end of the colonial rule over the city. In 1830 the Republic of Quito, which would later be called the Republic of Ecuador, broke away from Gran Colombia and Cuenca became part of it as the capital of the province of Azuay.

During the works for the opening of the Panama Canal, the industrial production of toquilla straw hats was started in Cuenca, which continued even after the closure of the construction sites, thanks to the international demand fueled by personalities from the world of entertainment and politics.

In 1885 the construction of the new cathedral began in the center which was not completed until 1975.

Starting from the 60s of the twentieth century there was a constant growth of the population that put Cuenca in third place on a national scale, after Quito is Guayaquil. Already in 1964, the urban area of ​​Cuenca had expanded to the south far beyond the limits represented by the Tomebamba River and Calle Larga and then spread like wildfire towards all 4 cardinal points.

On March 29, 1993, the Josefina disaster occurred, from a landslide that blocked the course of the Paute river whose waters overflowed a few days later causing a flood of enormous proportions: 200 million m³ of water poured downstream and for a hair they did not reach Cuenca. The Pan American highway was cut off as well as the railroad which has not since been reopened to traffic.

During the 1990s, the city continued its growth, promoting education and culture and at the end of the century and the 2nd millennium, its historic center was declared a World Heritage Site.

In Cuenca there are 8 university institutes, the most famous of which is the University of Cuenca which has about 12,000 students.

How to orient yourself

The Tomebamba River divides Cuenca into two parts, the extended old town on its north bank and the modern center on its south bank.

The historic center has the typical checkerboard layout of almost all colonial cities in Latin America. Its centerpiece is the Plaza Abdón Calderón, also known as Plaza República or Plaza de Armas. The town hall faces south of the square, while the new and old cathedral face each other on the sides.

Calle Larga is the road that runs along the north bank of the river together with the paseo 3 de Noviembre. The two arteries run east-west and are no more than 2 km long. Both are lined with trendy restaurants and are popular even late at night due to the presence of numerous nightclubs.

The riverfront on the opposite bank takes the name of Avenida 12 de Abril, in honor of the date of the foundation of Cuenca. The avenue marks the beginning of the modern center where the stadiums are, the Coliseo Jefferson Perez Quezada and the university campus with the library and the rectorate building.

How to get

By plane

• -2.889444-78.9844441 Mariscal Lamar International Airport (IATA: CUE). To 2020 the airlines LATAM is TAME operated domestic flights to / from Quito.

Despite the improvements, the airport runway in the middle of inhabited districts is also a serious disadvantage because its length is barely sufficient to guarantee the landing of large aircraft. In the past there have been more csi of planes that come off the runway especially in bad weather.  

By car

Cuenca is located on the Pan-American. The capital Quito is 450 km north and Guayaquil 243 km west.

By bus

• -2.892222-78.9927782 Terrestrial Terminal, Avenida Gil Ramírez Dávalos corner of Spain (Tram and bus stop lines 100 and 200). The buses of almost all regional and international inter-regional bus lines terminate here.  

How to get around

What see

• -2.90425-79.001291 Puente Roto. Stone bridge so called because part of it was swept away by a flood. It is a singular place where improvised sellers display their wares and anonymous artists their creations. 

Religious architectures

• -2.8975-79.0052 New Cathedral (Catedral Nueva), Calle Benigno Malo & Sucre. church has assumed the function previously held by the Old Cathedral, which has become too small. The works began in 1885 and continued for almost a century. The building combines different styles, but the neo-Romanesque is predominant. The cathedral is surmounted by three giant domes covered with blue and white glazed tiles specially sent from the then Czechoslovakia. The facade is made of alabaster and local marble, while the floor is covered with pink Carrara marble. The two towers, the tallest in the original project, are truncated due to a miscalculation by the architect. Despite this, the cathedral stands as a monumental work of faith and the skyline of domes has become a symbol for the city.  

• -2.897837-79.003853 Old Cathedral (Catedral Vieja), Calle Sucre corner Luis Cordero. The church project was drawn up in 1557, the same year as Cuenca was founded, and construction of the temple began ten years later, with stones taken from the ruins of the Inca city of Tomebamba. Once the church was inaugurated it was reserved for the Spanish ethnic group. The natives were forbidden to enter.

The organ was added in 1739 and the clock was fixed on the tower in 1751. The temple is deconsecrated and serves as a museum and occasionally a concert hall.

In 1787 Cuenca became the seat of a bishop and the church was elevated to a cathedral. The new tower erected in 1868 bears a commemorative plaque: Torre más célebre que las pirámides de Egipto ("Most famous tower of the Egyptian pyramids") in reference to the use of the old tower as a key landmark for the French geodesic mission in 1736, which determined the arc of the meridian.

In 1880 the construction of the new cathedral was started. With the consecration of the new cathedral, the old cathedral ceased to be used for religious functions. After a major renovation that began in 1999, the old cathedral was used as a "Museum of Religious Art" and a concert hall.  

• Carmen de la Asuncion, Calle Sucre at the corner of Padre Aguirre. 
• -2.898611-79.0061114 Saint Francis (San Francisco), Calle Presidente Córdova corner Padre Aguirre.  
• -2.90333-79.001715 All Saints (Todos Santos), Calle Larga corner Vargas Machuca.  
• -2.898611-78.9977786 Church of San Biagio (Iglesia de San Blas), Calle Manuel Vega at the corner of Simón Bolívar.  
• -2.89529-79.006177 Church of San Domenico (Iglesia de Santo Domingo), Calle Gran Colombia (Father Aguirre corner). 

• San Sebastian (San Sebastián). 
• -2.896944-79.00258 San Alfonso, Calle Simón Bolívar at the corner of Presidente Borrero.  

Museums

• -2.906078-78.996829 Pumapungo Museum (Banco Central Museum), Calle Larga corner Av. Huayna Capac, ☎ 593 7-283-1521. Tue-Sun 08: 00-16: 00. Folklore museum that exhibits costumes from the various regions ofEcuador. The modern building of the museum stands among the remains of foundations of the Inca city of Tomebamba.  
• -2.90012-79.0067910 Sombrero de Paja Toquilla Museum, Calle Larga 10-41 (Between the streets General Torres and Padre Aguirre.), ☎ 593 98 236 2998. Mon-Sat 09: 30-18: 30, Sun 09: 30-13: 00. One of the most visited museums in Cuenca which aims to illustrate the history of the famous Panama hats and their various shapes. 

• -2.90271-79.0032711 CIDAP Museum (Centro de Artes Populares Interamericano), Calle Hermano Miguel 3-23 and Paseo Tres de Noviembre.. Museum that exhibits more than seven thousand pieces of handicrafts from different Latin American countries but above all from Mexico, Guatemala, Colombia, Peru and naturally Ecuador.

The museum has a shop "El Barranco" - in charge of the sale of handicrafts provided with a certificate that guarantees the authenticity of the product.

The museum was inaugurated in 1975, as a member of the Inter-American Center for Crafts and Popular Arts, CIDAP, which arose from an agreement between the Organization of American States (OAS) and the government ofEcuador. 

• -2.90017-79.0025512 Museum of the Monasterio de las Conceptas, Calle Hermano Miguel 6-33 (Juan Jaramillo corner), ☎ 593 7-283-0625. Mon-Fri 09: 00-18: 30, Sat-Sun 10: 00-13: 00. A monastery of cloistered nuns, part of which has been used as a museum and open to the public.  
• -2.902654-79.00230913 Museum of Aboriginal Cultures (Museo de las Culturas Aborígenes), Calle 5-24 wide (Between the streets Hermano Miguel and Mariano Cueva.). A small museum of less than 10 rooms where more than 5,000 artifacts created by the pre-Columbian peoples of today's Ecuador are exhibited. The oldest pieces date back to 10,000 BC. C.

The museum was created by a university professor who dedicated his life to the collection and cataloging of material, from the earliest times up to the colonial era.  

• Remigio Crespo Toral Museum, Calle Larga 7-25 y Borrero. 
• Cañari Identity Museum (Museo de la Identidad Cañari), Calle Presidente Cordova 6-26 (Between Calle Hermano Miguel and Borrero streets). A small private museum set up, with the aim of illustrating the cultural and artistic expressions of the pre-Inca people of the Cañar.

It consists of an archaeological section and another dedicated to the colonial period. 

• Museum of Modern Art (Modern Art Museum), calle Mariscal Sucre 15-27 corner Coronel Tálbot (In front of the San Sebastián park). 

Events and parties

What to do

Shopping

Markets

• -2.8996-79.007621 Mercado 10 de August, Calle Larga 1147. Mon-Sun 07: 00-18: 00. 

How to have fun

Shows

• -2.89837-79.003791 Sucre Theater, Calle Luis Cordero, ☎ 593 7 283 4636. Concert hall. 
• -2.90622-78.997272 Pumapungo Theater, Calle Larga. 

Night clubs

Most of the nightclubs are located on the banks of the Rio Tomebamba.

• -2.90148-79.004723 Nidia Fuzzion Party nightclub, Calle Larga 6-111 & President Borrero, ☎ 593 98 718 2338. Mon-Thu 10: 00-19: 00, Fri-Sun 10: 00-19: 00 and 21: 00-03: 00. 
• -2.90168-79.005524 Inca Bar and Lounge, Paseo 3 de Noviembre, ☎ 593 7-285-0470. Trendy venue in 2020, run by an American from New Mexico. 

Where to eat

Average prices

• Golden Prague Pub, ☎ 593 98 458 6070. 

Where stay

Moderate prices

• Verde Limon Hostal, Juan Jaramillo 4 - 89 y Mariano Cueva, ☎ 593 7 283 1509. The most renowned of Cuenca's hostels. 
• Hostal Cofradia del Monge, President Córdova 10-33 corner Father Aguirre, ☎ 593 7 283 1251, 593 7 283 1251, fax: 593 7 283 1251, @[email protected]. 
• ^{[link not working]}Posada del Angel, Bolívar 14-11 corner Estévez de Toral, ☎ 593 7 284 0695, 593 7 282 1360, fax: 593 7 282 1360. 
• Hospedaje Río Piedra, President Córdova 8-40 corner Luis Codero, ☎ 593 7 284 3821, 593 7 283 9679, @[email protected]. 
• Hostal La Orquídea, Antonio Borrero 9-31 corner of calle Bolívar, ☎ 593 7 282 4511, 593 7 283 5844. 

Average prices

• Santa Lucía hotels. 

High prices

• Mansión Alcázar, Calle Bolívar 12-55 at the corner of Calle Tarqui, ☎ 593 7 282 3918. 
• El Dorado hotel, Gran Colombia 7-87 corner Luis Cordero, ☎ 593 7 283 1390. 

Safety

How to keep in touch

Around

North

• -2.539722-78.8753 Ingapirca - Archaeological site with Inca ruins.

East

• -2.933333-78.7666674 Chordeleg - Famous for handicraft production.

South

• -3.622921-79.2386135 Saraguro (141 km) -

West

• -2.846111-79.2202786 Cajas National Park —

Other projects

• Wikipedia contains an entry concerning Cuenca (Ecuador)
• Commons contains images or other files on Cuenca (Ecuador)

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