Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
City Street, Cuenca
All history aside, Cuenca is definitely one of Ecuador's most pleasant cities. With a sub-
tropical highland climate the city enjoys mild weather year-round and is brimming with
narrow sun-drenched streets alive with the constant energy of spring. Boulevards are sati-
ated with tall doors that open up to reveal leafy courtyards sometimes parked with shiny,
vintage Volkswagen beetles. It's common to stumble on the crumbling cobblestone while
admiring their facades. Some are private residences, some house hotels or restaurants, but
they all hint at a more romantic time - one that lives on in Cuenca.
Cuenca draws its name from the city in Spain where its founder Andrés Hurtado de Men-
doza hailed from and which translates to 'a basin made by a confluence of rivers', as it's
situated in the fertile fork crossed by the Tomebamba, Yanuncay, Tarqui and Machangara
channels. The first three flow from the melted glaciers of nearby Cajas National Park, loc-
ally referred to as the 'Land of 1,000 Lakes'. Tomebamba was actually the city's Kichwa
name before colonization changed it to Cuenca and means 'Plain of The Knife', probably
alluding to the bloody feud waged over the land. Today its grassy riverside serves as a
