Cuenca, the “Athens of Ecuador”

MY FAVORITE CITY

by Edisson Barros

My name is Edisson, I am 25, I was born in the most beautiful city of Ecuador, it is Cuenca, it is in the south of Ecuador in the mountainous region. Cuenca is one of the first cities in Ecuador. It was founded on April 12th, 1557 on the ruins of the Inca city of Tomebamba and the Cañari city of Guapondelig, by Gil Ramírez Dávalos, under the orders of the viceroy of Peru Andrés Hurtado de Mendoza. Cuenca currently has about 630,000 inhabitants, also it is the third biggest city in Ecuador.

Food

Cuenca has different food, cuencans love guinea pig, crazy potatoes, hornado and mote, these are some of the many foods that you should eat when you arrive in the city. My personal recommendation is to go to the different traditional markets such as "October 9th", "April 12th", "November 3th" among others.

Touristic places

I hope you bring your best camera. Cuenca has many beautiful landscapes, the four rivers that run through the city are especially wonderful, there are many large parks and if you are in Cuenca you cannot leave without first visiting the old and the new cathedrals, this is the most representative place in the city, here you will take nice pictures and you can buy many souvenirs. 

People

Cuenca people is friendly and affectionate, cuencans love to give the best service to visitors, always being honest and respectful.

Conclusion

Cuenca is a beautiful place, full of wonderful people and a lot of interesting architecture and history. You must visit this beautiful city, you will not regret it!