History and cultural buffs
won't want to miss Cuenca, a colonial-looking city with
narrow cobbled streets, ironwork balconies and red-tiled
roofs, dozens of fascinating churches, and a wide variety
of museums and art galleries. The tranquil streets are
without the noise and pollution found in a larger metropolis.
From Cuenca's charming central square, the Parque
Calderon, you can see the large blue domes of the
Catedral Nueva, a nineteenth-century cathedral with gorgeous
stain-glass windows, a huge twin-towered facade, and a
very ornate high altar.
The produce market is an integral part
of Cuenca. While you might not find much to buy at the
market other than exotic-looking vegetables,
you'll be right in the center of a special weekly social
occasion that holds the community together with a fiesta-like
atmosphere of buying, selling, and visiting.
Rio Tomebamba, the river that separates
Cuenca's colonial town from the universities and modern
residences, is another colorful sight well worth a look.
The downtown riverside is lined by colonial buildings
and in other areas washwomen set their clothing out to
dry on the river banks.
If you're seeking high-quality souvenirs, you'll want
to inspect the Panama hats, leather jackets,
embroideries, gold jewelry, and ceramics. In fact, you'll
find a hat factory and shops that sell only Panama
hats, which are not made in Panama at all. These hats
were first made in Ecuador by poverty-stricken Cuenca
residents of the 1830s, trying to make a living. Get yourself
a Panama hat and save a dying art!
Day trips from Cuenca are plentiful and include SIGSIG,
a remote agricultural village that is a key center for
Panama hat production. You'll be one of the few tourists
in this hilly countryside village nestled among the gorgeous
hills, and you'll have a chance to view a courtyard of
Panama hats being made in an array of colors.
Throughout the year, Cuenca residents hold celebrations,
and chances are a festive gathering will be underway when
you arrive. In early November, in such churches as the
lovely Santa Domingo, you'll see the celebration
of All Souls Day, when natives will be laying flowers
and gifts in cemeteries and lighting candles in honor
of ancestors. Next comes a line-up of festivals in different
cities, including the annual week-long Festivales de Cuenca,
celebrating Cuenca Independence. Throughout the city,
you'll find concerts, food expos, circuses, craft exhibits,
and much more.
The city of Latcunga, in the nearby volcano area, presents
a parade and also a bullfight, a popular
pastime that some visitors find disturbing and others
enjoy as an integral part of the local scene.
El Septenario (Corpus Christi), a week-long celebration
with fireworks and dancing. Begins second Thursday in
June.
Independence Day, a four-day celebration with cultural
fair, starting November 3
