Cuenca - the Athens of Ecuador
Art, Culture, and Landscape in the City of the Four Rivers
Cuenca, the third largest city in Ecuador, is full of tradition, art, religion, and colonial charm.
The city of Cuenca, Ecuador, is a must-see for anyone touring the country. Located in the southern half of the country, it is the economic and cultural center of the Austro Region, and capital of the province of Azuay. In 1999 the city was recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. At 2535 m (approximately 8200 ft.) and with about 400,000 inhabitants, this city successfully combines its quaint colonial past with modern-day facilities, creating a pocket of history and tradition in an otherwise metropolitan city.
The Athens of Ecuador
Visitors to Cuenca, Ecuador, are always impressed by its beautiful churches, cobblestone streets, and colonial homes decorated with ironwork balconies. While the charm of the city draws tourists there, it is the grace and quiet dignity of its people that makes them stay. Religiously devout, friendly, and culturally conservative, Cuencanos are promoters of the arts, and many cultural and artistic events can be found at any given time within the city. Also a university town, Cuenca boasts eight universities. Most prestigious is the Universidad de Cuenca (University of Cuenca), a state school of about 12,000 students. Home to many poets, writers, artists, and philosophers, Cuenca is a hotbed of cultural thought and reflection on Ecuadorian history and culture. For these reasons, this colonial city is known throughout the country as “The Athens of Ecuador.”
Landscape and Daily Life
Four rivers wind through town, providing a peaceful, relaxing backdrop for the daily activities of Cuencanos. Many beautiful homes are perched along the banks of the Yanucay, Tomabamba, Machángara and Tarqui Rivers, and colorful laundry can be found dotting the riverbanks as local women go about their daily business.
Cuencanos pride themselves on a leisurely-paced, family-oriented life, and it is not uncommon to find businesses and public offices closing their doors for a few hours at lunchtime so that their employees can go home and have a quiet lunch with family and friends. Most businesses open again late afternoon and work on into the early evening.
Brief History
The city has been named various times throughout its history, depending on whose control it was under at the time. Its first settlers, the Cañaris indigenous group, named it Guapondelig, meaning “land as big as the sky” in the Cañari language. After the Inca conquest, the city was renamed Tumipamba, or “plain of the ridge”, and was a stop along the Inca highway which ran from Cusco to Quito. In 1557 the city was founded by the Spanish explorer Gil Ramirez Dávalos and called Tomebamba. Later the Spanish christened the town “Santa Ana de los Cuatro Ríos de Cuenca” (Santa Ana of the Four Rivers of Cuenca), and the name remains to this day.
Independence
Cuenca obtained its independence from the Spanish on November 3, 1820. While the date is commemorated as a national holiday, the real celebrations occur in Cuenca itself: processions through the narrow cobblestone streets, outdoor dancing and cultural performances and activities.
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Sightseeing in Cuenca, Ecuador
