Exploring the wonders of Cuenca
EXPLORING CUENCA by Wendy Mejia, Enchanted Expeditions Sales Team
I picked to write about Cuenca. My reason why? Because Cuenca is my second favorite city in Ecuador. My favorite of course is Quito, my hometown. I haven’t been in Cuenca for many years but I really hope to get back soon. Just have not had the chance and time to go back. Let me tell you a bit about this beautiful city in order to give you reasons to come explore Cuenca and see with your own eyes why I love it. Lets start exploring Cuenca!
Santa Ana de los Cuatro Ríos de Cuenca, commonly referred as Cuenca is the capital and largest city of the Azuay Province. Cuenca is located in the Southern part of Ecuador´s Highlands at about 2,560 meters above sea level. The center of the city is listed as an UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1999 due to its many historical buildings. Well-deserved as it is really a stunning city for those who love history.
Not only does this city have beautiful buildings, but also their people are very friendly and polite to tourists. And the food is very good too.
There are so many place you can visit in Cuenca. Here are some of my favorite places.
Like in any of the cities built by the Spaniards during the colonization in the 16th century the main square would be the first place to visit, so the first place I would visit would be the Old Cathedral (Iglesia de El Sagrario = The Church of the Shrine) which was built in 1557. This little white church eventually became too small for the town’s attendants. In 1880 a new cathedral was built as the replacement. The old cathedral no longer consecrated has been restored and is now used as a museum for religious art. Also as a venue for concerts and cultural events.
Among others it displays sculptures by Miguel Velez and Gaspar Sangurima and paintings by Daniel Alvarado and Nicholas Vivar. The entrance fee to this small museum is US$ 2 per person.
After visiting the Old Cathedral I would like to recommend a visit to the New Cathedral located on the other side of the Abdon Calderon Park. Before heading to the Cathedral I love to spend some time in this lovely park is located in between the old and new cathedrals. Every day you will see that on the park benches people will meet to converse and absorb its tranquility. I wonder what stories these people are telling each other. It is also a good place to rest after a long day of walking in Cuenca. I believe the best way to get to know the city is by foot of course. Of course there are buses and taxis you can take, but by foot you can absorb everything more and you have all the time of the world to take pictures you can show your friends and hope they will envy you for having visited this beautiful city.
After having spent some time on the park benches observing people and the nearby buildings it is time to continue to The New Cathedral or also known as The Cathedral Metropolitana de la Inmaculada Concepción). Its towers are truncated due to a calculation error of the architect. The New Cathedral of Cuenca was completed in 1975. The style is combination of Romanesque Revival and Neo-Gothic in style.
The churches gorgeous blue and white domes have become a symbol for the city. They are almost the same beautiful blue color as the sky in Ecuador.
Outside the church next to the main door you will find many little stands selling religious items such as medals with saints, prayer boos and also candles you can lit inside the church at the different altars. I always buy a candle from one of the stands and go inside to church to say a prayer for all my loved ones.
After our visit to The New Cathedral and only a couple blocks away is our next destination, The Monastery of El Carmen de Asuncion, which is one of the majestic religious structures of Cuenca. Located in the historic center of the city beside the Plaza de las Flores, highlighted by a sculpted marble cover, which is a magnificent example of Baroque art. It has a Renaissance style structure, which you can see interesting sculptures, Baroque. The church was built in honor of the Virgin in the invocation of the Assumption.
I thinks that the colorful flower market located in the atrium supplements the beauty of the church which was founded in 1682. Flower like roses, carnations and sunflowers to name a few can be bought in this market. You might have noticed that flowers are pretty affordable in Ecuador.
We continue our journey to the Turi Mirador (Turi Watchpoint / Lookout). As this is not located in the center of the city we need to hire a taxi to take us there. It is approx. 5.3 km away from the center (10 minutes by car). The cost is approx. US$ 4 for the ride. You can negotiate with your taxi driver before you hire him to wait at the Mirador for 10 minutes and take you back to the center of the city, I would recommend that. If you want to stay more time no problem at all. There are taxis at Turi that can drive you back in town.
What a wonderful view of the city you have from this watch point. Great place to take pictures and selfies. This place is also called the Balcony of Cuenca. There is a small church located here too: The Santisima Virgen de l Merced church. I have not visited this church before. Next time I am in Cuenca I will definitely make a trip to Turi Mirador and visit the church.
There are small restaurants which you have to visit and enjoy our typical food like a nice potato soup with cheese and avocado called Locro de papas. Or if you want something lighter you can visit one of the coffee shops. A must is to take our traditional Canelazo, a delicious warm drink made of hot Cinnamon water and Naranjilla juice. You can have this drink with or without alcohol. I myself like it with some alcohol. A wonderful warm drink to keep you warm. Or you can enjoy a nice Ecuadorian coffee with an empanada de viento (fried flour patty with cheese). So good!! You will not only have one, but 2.
Before we go back to the center a short visit to one of the little handicraft stores, where we will find the best items made by Cuenca people´s hands. With the visit to Turi Mirador we finish the visits in Cuenca.
There are so many more places and churches to visit, but normally I will only stay for one night in Cuenca, so do not have much time to see all the attractions here. Next time I will have to stay for more nights in order to visit more places worth seeing.
I hope that with what I wrote you will have an idea why I love this city and have the interest of visiting this beautiful city while you are in Ecuador. You will not regret it.