Cuenca, Ecuador
Cuenca, officially Santa Ana de los Ríos de Cuenca, is an Ecuadorian city, head of the canton of the same name and capital of the province of Azuay, as well as its largest and most populated city. It is crossed by the Tomebamba, Tarqui, Yanuncay and Machángara rivers, in the south-central inter-Andean region of Ecuador, in the Paute river basin, at an altitude of 2,538 meters above sea level and with a temperate Andean climate averaging 16.3 °C.
It has been locally called "Cuenca of the Andes" or "Athens of Ecuador" for its architecture, its cultural diversity, its contribution to Ecuadorian arts, sciences and literature, and for being the birthplace of many illustrious figures of Ecuadorian society. At the 2022 census it had a population of 596,101 inhabitants, making it the third most populous city in the country behind Guayaquil and Quito. The city is the core of the Cuenca metropolitan area, which is also made up of nearby rural towns and parishes. The conglomerate also ranks third among Ecuador's conurbations.
It was founded on April 12, 1557, on the ruins of the Inca city of Tomebamba and the Cañari city of Guapondelig, by Gil Ramírez Dávalos, under orders of the viceroy of Peru Andrés Hurtado de Mendoza. During the 20th century, the city continued to grow, promoting education and culture, and in 1999 its historic center was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is one of Ecuador's most important administrative, economic, financial and commercial centers. The city's main activities are commerce and industry; in recent years, Cuenca has also established itself as an international tourist attraction.
Toponymy
The city is named Santa Ana de los Ríos de Cuenca in honor of the city of Cuenca in Spain, birthplace of the Spanish viceroy of Peru Andrés Hurtado de Mendoza, who was the one who ordered the Spanish Gil Ramírez Dávalos to found the city and the fact that this place, in its geographical features, is very similar to the Spanish city. Viceroy Andrés Hurtado was also at that time High Guard of the European city of Cuenca, and it was then a gift from the conquistador to the viceroy. In addition, the name "de los Ríos" includes the fact that it is crossed by the rivers: Tomebamba, Tarqui, Yanuncay and Machángara. The rest of the name comes from the Spanish tradition of dedicating new cities to a saint of the Catholic Church, in this case Saint Anne.History
“The plateau is a place treasured by empires," comments Jeffrey Herlihy-Mera. "The Cañari then Inca and then Spanish occupied the region in the last two millennia, each renaming it in their own language. Now the capital city is called Cuenca and the province Azuay.”According to studies and archeological discoveries, the origins of the first inhabitants go back to the year 8060 BC in the Cave of Chopsi. They were hunters, hunting everything the Páramo offered them, and nomads, following the animals and seasons. Their culture is represented by tools such as arrows and spears, which have been found throughout the Andean valley. The culture was most present about 5585 BC.
Later, the early indigenous people used the stable climate, fertile soil, and abundant water to develop agriculture. They grew potatoes, melloco, chocho, squash, and quinoa. They also domesticated animals such as cuys and camelids: llamas and alpacas.
Their technology was also advanced. For example, they began creating ceramics. In fact, ceramics constitute the greatest number of artifacts which archeologists use to study their culture. The period from 5000 BCE to 2000 BCE is not well represented in the archeological record. Beginning around 2000 BCE, the people developed a more highly organized society, demonstrating delegated responsibilities, such as the managing of water and control of plagues. People were specialized as administrative and religious authorities. This occurred during the periods of Chaullabamba, Huayco, Pirincay, Monjas, Putushio, Huancarcucho, and Jubones. From then until 500 AD began the periods of Tacalshapa III and the Cañari people, who were absorbed into the Incas in the 15th century.
Pre-Columbian society
Cuenca was originally a Cañari settlement called Guapondeleg. Archeologists believe Cuenca was founded around 500 AD. Guapondeleg translates into "land as big as heaven." Less than half a century before the conquistadors landed, the Incas, after a bitter struggle, conquered the Cañari and occupied Guapondeleg and the surrounding area. Though the Incas replaced the Cañari architecture with their own, they did not suppress the Cañari or their impressive achievements in astronomy and agriculture. As was customary for the Incas, they absorbed useful achievements into their culture. They renamed the city Tomebamba. The city became known as the second Cusco, a regional capital.After the defeat of the Cañari, likely in the 1470s, the Inca emperor, Tupac Yupanqui, ordered the construction of a grand city to be called Pumapungo, "the door of the Puma." Its magnificence was said to have rivaled that of the Inca capital of Cuzco. Indians told stories to the Spanish chroniclers of golden temples and other such wonders, but by the time the Spaniards found the legendary city, all that remained were ruins. They wondered what happened to the fabled splendor and riches of the second Inca capital. After having been abandoned by the Cañari and then the Incas, Tomebamba was sparsely populated until the 1550s.
Tomebamba is considered a candidate for the mythical city of gold which the Spanish called El Dorado. The Spanish thought El Dorado was burned by the inhabitants after they heard of the Spanish conquests. Tomebamba's destruction by its inhabitants prior to the arrival of the Spanish suggests it may have been what the Spanish called El Dorado.
Spanish settlement
The Spanish settlement of Cuenca was founded on April 12, 1557, by the explorer Gil Ramírez Dávalos. Andrés Hurtado de Mendoza, then Viceroy of Peru had commissioned the founding and ordered the city named after his home town of Cuenca, Spain. It was founded decades after other major Spanish settlements in the region, such as Quito, Guayaquil, and Loja.Cuenca's population and importance grew steadily during the colonial era.
Cuenca reached the peak of its importance in the first years of Ecuador's independence; Cuenca achieved its independence on November 3, 1820. It became the capital of one of the three provinces that made up the nascent republic. The other two capitals were Guayaquil and Quito.
Demographics
As per the last INEC estimate for 2015, the population of the Cuenca canton was 580,000 inhabitants, of which 400,000 constitute the urban population. Local publications estimate that the expat population is between 4,000 and 6,000. The economic development is based on industry and agricultural development.The Cuenca Metropolitan Area includes the cities of Azogues, Biblian, and Deleg in the Cañar province and the cities of Paute and Gualaceo in the Azuay province with a population of 730,000 inhabitants; however, Cuenca's influence in the cultural, economic, and educational areas extends to all the remaining cities around the city.
Economy
Cuenca is known for its textiles, furniture, hats, and shoes. The straw hats known around the world as Panama hats are made in Cuenca by local artisans. Cuenca also was a major exporter of flowers to the United States and countries in Europe; however, as other cities have started flower gardens, Cuenca now specializes in orchids. While farming has shrunk in the past years, it is still an important sector of the city's economy, mainly vegetables and corn. Cattle ranching is also an important economic activity. Since Cuenca is located in the Andes mountains surrounded by forested areas nearby, mining and logging are also local industries. Some of the common mined resources are kaolin, plaster, limestone, sand, and carbon. Cuenca has also an important industrial and commercial sector.Tourism continues to grow: Cuenca has many churches and a well-preserved old town that are a part of the cultural heritage of the city. Near Cuenca some important national parks, including Cajas National Park have been created.
At the turn of the century, the country's economy was affected by the change in currency, from sucre to USD.
Geography
Cuenca, capital of the province of Azuay, is located in the sierra of the Andes in the Austro or southern region of Ecuador. It is approximately 470 km south of Quito and 200 km southeast of Guayaquil. The city ranges from above sea level.The dominant features of the city's geography are also the source of its name in Spanish: the four rivers of Cuenca. These rivers are the Tomebamba, Yanuncay, Tarqui and Machangara, in order of importance. The first three of these rivers originate in the Páramo of El Cajas National Park to the west of the city.
Parishes
Cuenca Canton contains the following parishes:- Baños
- Chaucha
- Checa
- Chiquintad
- Cumbe
- Llacao
- Molleturo
- Nulti
- Octavio Cordero Palacios
- Paccha
- Quingeo
- Ricaurte
- San Joaquín
- Santa Ana
- Sayausi
- Sidcay
- Sinincay
- Tarqui
- Turi
- Valle
- Victoria del Portete
Climate