Cuenca

Cuenca is the jewel of the Ecuadorian Andes, where cobbled streets, Baroque façades and the blue domes of the New Cathedral form one of the most coherent colonial ensembles in South America. Set in an inter-Andean basin at roughly 2,560 metres above sea level, it enjoys a mild, almost unchanging climate of around 22 °C year-round, earning it the nickname the City of Eternal Spring.

History and origins

The city's full name is Santa Ana de los Ríos de Cuenca. The Spanish founded it in 1557 on the orders of the Viceroy of Peru, on the site of the Inca settlement of Tomebamba, which had itself grown up on the lands of the Cañari people. Three distinct cultural layers therefore lie beneath today's streets — Cañari, Inca and colonial. Thanks to its harmonious grid layout, abundance of churches and well-preserved 19th-century architecture, Cuenca's historic centre was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1999. Today it is the country's third-largest city, with a population of around 600,000, the administrative capital of Azuay Province, and one of Ecuador's highest-ranking cities for quality of life. The gentle climate and relaxed pace have made Cuenca popular with retirees from the United States and Canada, who have formed a sizeable community here.

Main sights

The heart of the city is Parque Calderón, a leafy central square flanked by two cathedrals.

• New Cathedral (Catedral de la Inmaculada Concepción) — Cuenca's landmark, built over almost a century from 1885 to 1975. Its blue-and-white domes, clad in Czech majolica tiles, are visible from anywhere in the centre; the church can hold up to nine thousand worshippers.
• Old Cathedral (Catedral Vieja / El Sagrario) — one of the oldest buildings in the city, founded in 1557. It now houses the Museum of Religious Art.
• Plaza de las Flores — a small but picturesque flower market in front of the Carmelite convent.
• Pumapungo Archaeological Park — excavated foundations of the Inca city of Tomebamba, reconstructed gardens and a large ethnographic museum.
• CIDAP Museum of Aboriginal Cultures and city workshops where the famous "Panama" hats are made — in fact an Ecuadorian craft woven from fine toquilla straw.
• Tomebamba River and Calle Larga — the scenic embankment separating the old town from newer districts, lined with stairways, cafés and the open-air laundry museums of El Barranco.
• Turi viewpoint — a hill on the southern edge of the city with a panoramic view of the rooftops and domes.

Surroundings

Half an hour's drive away lies Cajas National Park — a rugged high-altitude páramo at around 4,000 metres, dotted with hundreds of glacial lakes, wrapped in mist and covered in low-growing polylepis vegetation. To the south are the craft towns of Gualaceo and Chordeleg, known for weaving, hat-making and silver and filigree work. About 80 km away is Ingapirca — the country's largest Inca archaeological complex, with a well-preserved elliptical Temple of the Sun.

Food and drink

Local gastronomy blends Andean and colonial traditions. The signature dish is cuy — guinea pig roasted on a spit, served on special occasions. Also popular are hornado (slow-roasted pork with potato cakes called llapingachos), mote pillo (hominy corn sautéed with egg), the hearty locro de papa potato soup, and canelazo, a warming drink made from sugarcane spirit, cinnamon and naranjilla fruit juice. Markets such as Mercado 10 de Agosto are a great place to try home-cooked food cheaply and authentically.

Practical information

Allow around three days to explore the city: the first for the historic centre and cathedrals, the second for museums, the riverside and the Turi viewpoint, and the third for a trip to Cajas or the craft villages. Cuenca is compact and the centre is easy to explore on foot; there is also a rapid tram network and local buses. Mariscal Lasueta International Airport connects the city with Quito and Guayaquil, from where buses also run over the mountain passes. Because of the altitude, mild acclimatisation symptoms are possible in the first day or two — drink plenty of water and avoid overexertion. Ecuador uses the US dollar. Despite the steady warmth, Andean evenings can be cool, so a light jacket is useful at any time of year.