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and over again by earthquakes, the latest in 1949. As a result of this
geological bad luck, very little historical architecture or artifacts re-
main and it lacks the colonial charmof many other places inEcuador.
Nevertheless, Ambato is surging ahead with a rocketing population
and booming economy, based in part on the pharmaceutical industry.
It's an interesting city to visit, particularly during the Monday mar-
ket, which is the largest in Ecuador. Unless you enjoy bumper-to-
bumper traffic, however, it is best to park and wander around on foot.
You'll be amazed at the fantastic display of colorful sights, sounds,
and smells - a truemerging of indigenous culturewithmodern life.
Festival of Fruit & Flowers
Each year, at the beginning of February,
Ambato, known as “The Garden City,” is
home to the famed Fiesta de las Frutas y de
las Flores, a colorful celebration that show-
cases the best of local talent. Among the fes-
tivities are street parades with colorful floats decorated
with - you guessed it - flowers and fruit, traditional folk
music performances and dancing. The festival is a very pop-
ular destination for Ecuadorians, as well as foreign travel-
ers, so be sure tomake hotel reservations well in advance.
The culture buff shouldn't have a problem filling a day or two in
Ambato, as the city has quite a few interesting sites, including nu-
merous churches and parks, and a natural history museum. It also
has museums - once homes - of two of Ecuador's most renowned in-
tellectuals, Juan Montalvo and Juan León Mera, a famous essayist,
novelist and playwright, sometimes referred to as the “Cervantes of
South America,” was born in Ambato in 1832. Juan Montalvo's
house is now open to the public as a museum on the corner of Bolívar
andMontalvo,
3-821-024. There is no entrance fee. The “ Quinta de
Mera ” is the farm where Juan León Mera, another Ambateño writer
and poet, was born and raised. Mera is most famous for writing the
Ecuadorian national anthem. Also converted into a museum, the
house is surrounded by very pleasant, tree-lined gardens. To get
there, take a taxi from the city center. The house is in the nearby sub-
urb of Atocha.
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