Sites around Cuenca

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17 - 24 May

During this week I´ve visited a few churches and museums with my Spanish teacher:

Museo Centro del Banco del Ecuador (Pumapungo) - the site of the Inca city of Tomebamba. In the ruins, it is still possible to make out the different rooms in which the Incas lived. From the main living area, there are stepped terraces leading down to an area set aside below the main living area to grow crops.


Museo de Sombrero - not as boring as it sounds. Cuenca is famous for making Panama hats and they show you the whole process of making the hats. Prices range from 15 USD for a cheap hat to 140 USD for one with the finest material and which you could roll up if you wanted to and it won´t lose it´s shape.

Museo of Aborigines - showing approx 5000 pieces of Inca and Cañara pottery, jewellery. Not that exiting unless you like pottery.

Both the old and new Cathedrals - on top of the new Cathedral there are 3 large domes. Apparently there are plans to add another tower but the foundations were never built strong enough to support this.

Photos from around Cuenca:

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Photos

Cuenca - at night
taken from the roof of the host familys house

Cuenca - broken bridge
So called because after massive rainfall the river swept part of the bridge away - the rest was left and never repaired. A new bridge was built in it´s place.

Cuenca
Broken bridge

Pumapungo
Drainage irrigation ditch in the foreground. At the top of the hill is where the main living area was.

Pumapungo
Looking down from the top of the hill showing where the crops were grown.