Friday 23rd January 2026: Santa Ana de los cuatro rios de Cuenca, the Athens of the Andes

Today was our first day in Cuenca, which is the cultural capital of Ecuador.  Our flat is on the edge of the historical centre which has UNESCO World Heritage status.

It's very nicely furnished with two bedrooms, two balconies a small lounge and a fully equipped kitchen.

Vie from the front balcony.

Outside eating area.

We're a couple f minutes walk from Plaza San Fransisco, which used the mark the boundary of the old city.  Indigenous peoples were not allowed to live there.

Plaza San Fransisco

If the photos have a blur on them it's because my lens had a splash on it.

Many of the houses in the city are built in the french style, with wrought iron balconies.  One of the richest families had visited Paris and brought back their own architect who then trained others.

The Chilean Consulate is particularly grand.

This building is being restored and will be a hotel.

Courtyard in the seminary.

The new cathedral is visible from most parts of town.  The towers at the front were meant to be higher but a miscalculation by the architect meant that the foundations weren't substantial enough.

Flower market. Plaza del flores.

The striking blue domes of the cathedral.

Inside the Iglesia el carmen de la Asuncion.

Flower market.

We managed to sneak in the cathedral as mass was ending.  It has an ornate altar covered in gold.

The architect's model showing the tours how they should be.

The main square is called Parque Calderon and many fine buildings surround it..

The area around Plaza Sebastian has some very nice restaurants during the day, but can be a bit dodgy by night.

The cathedral domes.

We had a couple of Artesan beers at Chicanos in the plaza.  To be honest, we're not really city people.  We prefer big landscapes, but there was plenty to admire in Cuenca.

In the afternoon we bought a topless bus tour.  The guide spoke perfect English and was very informative.  These are the cathedral doors.

The broken bridge.  It was washed away by a flood which took out 12 of the city;s bridges and it remains a memo

rial to that event.

Pumapungo inca ruins

Rio Tumebamba

Pumapungo

The main stop on our bus tour was to a factory which produces what we call the Panama Hat.  The factory, owned by the Ortega family, has a small museum which explains the torturous complexity of each hat is made.

Ecuadorians call the hat a toquilla and they exported them to the workers constructing the Panama canal - hence the name.

Some of the hats sell for as much as $30,000.

Next we headed up to the Catholic University.  There a observation tower has been built, eight storeys high where you can get vista of the city.  

It is built on the site of a former jail.  This is all that is left of the jail.

Of course we had our picture taken.

After the tour we looked for dinner.  We'd heard of a vegetarian cafe called Ananda.  When we found it, it was just closing.  It was very modest.  The lady ushered in and we were asked what we wanted.  We explained veggie/vegan food.  We ere told to take a seat and we perused the menu on the blackboard.  

The lady offered us two drinks - jugo de papaya or another which we can't remember - but it might have been tinctura de menthe. Then she said she only had one of each.  Whatever the latter was, it tasted of watered down TCP.

Next, without warning, a plate of chickpea soup was put in front of us, lightly spiced.

We've noticed that Ecuadorians eat very quickly.  And as soon as you have finished your food, and sometimes before, your plate is whisked away.  We've seen people come into a restaurant much later than us and leave before.

Another plate of food was put in front of us, some sort of stewed broccoli with brown rice, kale and carrot.

It was basic food but the portions were massive.   The lady told us: It's healthy, it's fresh and it's cheap."  And it was at $3.50 each.  We alter found out that she does a 3 course menu del Dia for a fixed price but we weren't offered a sweet.

Bellies bursting with food, we thought about going home.  However, in the historic centre, there are no big supermarkets and we needed supplies for breakfast.  So we caught a cab to Supermaxi and stocked up with supplies.   We managed to get Ecuadorian vegan cheese made out of chickpeas and lupins.

Back at the flat, we had a restful evening.