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Destination Ecuador: Cuenca
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Destination Ecuador: Cuenca

The complete name is Santa Ana De Cuenca,  capital of Azuay province, south central Ecuador. The city lies in an intermontane basin (cuenca), at an altitude of 8,517 ft (2,596 m), on the Río Matadero, a tributary of the Río Paute. The Spanish colonial city was founded in 1557 by the conquistador Gil Ramírez Davalos on the ruins of Tumi pampas, the former residence of the Inca ruler Huayna Capac, who had conquered the Kingdom of Quitu in the 15th century.

The commercial centre for most of southern Ecuador and third largest city in the nation, Cuenca trades in agricultural products, cattle, hides, and marble. Principal industries include the manufacture of Panama hats, textiles and lace, leather goods, jewelry, and food products. The weekly Indian market, in addition to serving an important economic function, is a popular tourist attraction. Low grade copper deposits have been discovered west of Cuenca.

Outstanding examples of Spanish colonial architecture include La Concepción convent (founded 1599) and Las Carmelitas Descalzas convent (founded 1682). Other notable landmarks are the Gothic cathedral (still under construction), the Government House (where the German geographer and traveller Alexander von Humboldt stayed in 1802), and the Municipal Museum. Cuenca became an episcopal see in 1786 and an archbishopric in 1957. It is the seat of the University of Cuenca (1868) and of a Catholic university (1970). The 91-mi (146-km) southern spur of the Guayaquil–Quito railway runs to Cuenca and the Pan-American Highway passes through the city. Pop. (1982 prelim.) 155,711.

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