November 3 – Independence of Cuenca in Ecuador

Postednon November 3, 2014

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nI’mnnot sure why Cuenca is sometimes called the “Athens of Ecuador.”nBut maybe it’s because there are so many wonderful old buildings. Fornsure, that’s the reason the town is a UNESCO World Heritage Trustnsite.

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nPeoplenhave lived in this spot in the highlands of the Andes at least 10,000nyears! I say that because scientists have found evidence that peoplenlived in a cave there waaaayyy back in 8060 BCE. These early tracesnwere nomads who followed animal herds and had a hunting / gatheringnlifestyle.

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Laternpeoples began agriculture, growing things like potatoes, squash, andnquinoa, and raising llamas and alpacas. By 2000 BCE, the people ofnwhat would become Cuenca had organized enough to have people whonspecialized in water management, plague control, government, andnreligious ceremonies, as well of course as farmers. These Canarinpeople called their settlement Guapondeleg. When the Inca conquerednthe town, they renamed it Tomebamba. It was the Spaniards that gavenCueca its modern name…well, actually, its proper, and longer, name:nSanta Ana de los cuatros rios de Cuenca. (Saint Ann of thenfour rivers of the bowl [or basin])

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Cuencanis around 8,000 feet above sea level – which is pretty high! Mynbrother lives at that altitude, and I huff and puff when I visit himnbecause the air is thinner, which means I get less oxygen with eachnbreath. n

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Thenland around Cuenca is called Paramo, an ecosystem that is both alpinen(high mountain country) and tropical (close to the equator). ThenParamo lies between the forest and the permanent snowline. The plantsnof the Paramo evolved from tropical rainforest plants rather than,nsay, from temperate forests of North America, and instead ofnlow-lying moss and shrubs, much of the Paramo features giant rosettenplants and grasses. n

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nTodaynCuenca celebrates its independence from Spain on this date in 1820.

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nAlsonon this date: