Welcome to Cañar!

Cañar province, located in the Ecuadorian highlands, has an impressive cultural and scenic richness; also, an incredible touristic potential, which has not yet been exploited. That is the reason why we wrote this blog. Here, we show some of the most relevant touristic and magic places of the province. These sites are perfect for visiting with family, friends, or even alone because the experience is unique, no matter who you are with.  Furthermore, any of these places are appropriate for school trips. If students visit Cañar, they will not only learn about its culture, but they will also enjoy the moment. There are many things to do here. Moreover, Cañar and Ecuador, in general, are distinguished for the hospitality of their people and their culture.

We chose some significant places to write about in this blog. We can categorize them based on different aspects. For instance, if we refer to Virgen del Rocío Sanctuary, Señor de las Flores Church, or Virgen de la Nube Shrine, we can refer to them as places for catholic people. However, they can be visited by anyone who wants to go there with respect. Another category can be mountains; here, we decide to include Abuga and Cojitambo. They can be a good option for people who like hiking or appreciate being in open places. Also, we have lagoons and lakes such as Chocar, Culebrillas, and Guabizhun. Aquatic parks too, some of them natural like Guapán, or artificial such as Pedregal. Those are for people who want to relax near or even in the water. Now, for people who aspire to learn about our culture and background, there are Ingapirca and Olleros. It is possible to classify them as historical places or centers.  

 

With all these, we want to give you a warm welcome to Cañar province.

 

Enjoy this Blog!

Virgen de la Nube Shrine

 [Ecuador Azogues Igl S Francisco 03] [Photograph]. (2010). Wikipedia.  Santuario de la Virgen de la Nube - Wikipedia, la enciclopedia libre 

The Sanctuary of la Virgen de la Nube, better known as the Franciscan Sanctuary belongs to the Diocese of Azogues. It is located in the eastern part of the Equatorial city of Azogues. It is a church of singular and beautiful construction that dates from the Republican era, its entire structure, as well as its stairs, were made with stone extracted from the Abuga hill. The High Altar of the sanctuary is entirely carved in fine wood, covered with gold leaf (¨Santuario de la Virgen de la Nube,¨ 2021).

 [La Vírgen de la Nube en el altar mayor de la iglesia]  [Photograph]. (2013). Encanto Escondido. Encanto Escondido: Antecedentes de la devoción a la Vírgen de la Nube (killaintirunakay.blogspot.com)

The Sanctuary of the Virgen de la Nube, a monumental stone construction stands out in the highest part of the city. It is an architectural-religious reference and the reason for one of the most extraordinary regional pilgrimages. The virgin of this beautiful church has a link with the Abuga hill since there is a giant monument of the virgen.

Zambrano, P. (2012). [Cerro Abuga Santuario Virgen De La Nube] [Photograph]. Foursquare. Fotos en Cerro Abuga Santuario Virgen De La Nube - Mirador paisajístico (foursquare.com)

It is a beautiful place to visit, so don't waste your time and see this beautiful shrine full of history and tradition.  

Reference

Santuario de la Virgen de la Nube. (2021, April 17). In Wikipedia. https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santuario_de_la_Virgen_de_la_Nube 

 

Señor de las Flores Church

 

 [Iglesia Señor de Flores] [Photograph]. (n.d.). Viajandox. Información Iglesia Señor de Flores Azogues (viajandox.com)

 The beautiful church of señor de las flores is located in the parish of Bayas, on the slopes of Cerro Abuga, in the city of Azogues. This beautiful church is built on the vestiges of the Cañari people mixing two world services. This church is built entirely with stone from the Abuga hill, its roof is made of tiles, and its style is neoclassical. This church is the first Christian construction in the region to counteract the cult of the Cañaris.

Something about the history of this beautiful place is that At the beginning of the Colony, the Peleusí Encomienda belonged to the Spaniard Don Rodrigo Núñez de Bonilla. After a few years, the commission became a Doctrine, with the qualifier ¨Seat of the Spanish people¨. Then ¨bayas¨ rose to the category of civil parish and then to an ecclesiastical parish. Its first parish priest, Father Rafael Alfonso Tapia C. established his first headquarters in the church of Señor de las Flores; Later, he ordered the construction of the chapel and more catechetical and pastoral services in the center of the town ("Iglesia señor de Flores," n.d.).

 [Iglesia del Señor de las Flores] [Photograph]. (n.d.). Goraymi. Iglesia del Señor de las Flores (goraymi.com)

Do not forget we are waiting for you!!!

Reference

Iglesia señor de las Flores. (n.d.). Viajandox. Retrieved July 11, 2021, from https://ec.viajandox.com/azogues/iglesia-senor-de-flores-A739

Pedregal - Aqua Park

 

Pedregal - Aqua Park

[Pedregal Centro Turístico][Photograph]. (2020). Remodela y adorna tu hostería - Facebook. Facebook

 

[El Pedregal][Photograph]. (n.d.). Mi Destino Ecuador. El Pedregal - Mi Destino EcuadorMi Destino Ecuador

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Pedregal is an aqua park in Cañar province. It is 3 km from Troncal city center, on the way to Puerto Inca; it is in the coast region. This aquatic complex is perfect for spending time with friends and family. There are artificial waterfalls, huts, green areas, a river, sports fields, playgrounds, restaurants, and more than ten pools for children and adults. Also, it is allowed to bring or cook your food here; there are grills available for it. Besides, here, you can find a sauna, steam rooms, and a jacuzzi. It is open on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, from 8:00, am to 5:30 pm ("El Pedregal," 2021). It is a marvelous place to relax and enjoy the warm weather. Best of all, the cost of the entry ticket is not too expensive. If you were going to go out with your loved ones, but you did not know where to go, visit Pedregal; you will love it.

References

El Pedregal. (2021, February 13). Mi Destino Ecuador. Retrieved July 10, 2021 from http://www.midestinoecuador.com/destinos/el-pedregal/

 Guabizhún Lagoon

 [Laguna de Guabizhun] [Photography]. (n.d.). Prefectura cañar. Laguna de Guabizhún :: Gobierno Provincial del Cañar :: Provincia Provincial del Cañar (gobiernodelcanar.gob.ec) 

The Guabizhun lagoon is a beautiful lagoon that is located in the parish of Solano, located south of the Deleg canton in the beautiful cañar´s province in Ecuador. Its meaning comes from the Quechua Guabizhun, which means Corazon de Hombre or ¨Man's heart¨. Flora and fauna of this lagoon are made up of native plants such as totora, chupa caballo, chilca, broom, cabuya, straw, among others, and its fauna of birds such as swallows, quililicos, and small animals like lizards, and crickets. From the lagoon, you can look at a lot of places. for example, the Coijtambo Hill, the Pachamama, the Caja Mountains, the Cuenca City, the Guaguashumi Hill, the Plateado, and the Azogues City ("Laguna de Guabizhun," n.d.).

It is a beautiful place full of life and vegetation. We are waiting for you to meet the beautiful cañar province and flora and fauna of this lagoon. We will wait for you.

Reference

Laguna de Guabizhun. (n.d.). Prefectura Cañar. Retrieved July 5, 2021, from
http://www.gobiernodelcanar.gob.ec/public_html/paginas/laguna-de-guabizhun.71

 Cojitambo

[Cerro Cojitambo][Photograph].(n.d.). www.azogueños.com. Area y Población - Azogues (google.com)

[Rutas de Escalada del Cerro Cojitambo][Photograph]. (n.d.). Ministerio de Turismo. MINTUR inauguró 70 nuevas rutas de escalada en el cerro Cojitambo – Ministerio de Turismo

 

[Las Principales Rutas para Practicar Escalada][Photograph]. (2013). Explorando - blogspot.com. Explorando (explorandoelaustro.blogspot.com)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Eleven kilometers far from Azogues city, we find Cojitambo. It is a small town where many tourists go mainly to climb the big Cojitambo mountain ("Complejo Arqueológico Cojitambo," n.d.). This hill is the principal tourist attraction. People from around the world visit it because there are more than 180 different climbing routes. Depending on the level of the climbers (beginners, intermediate, and experts), they choose the best route for them.

[En Cojitambo se asentó el poder][Photograph]. (2015). El Diario.ec. En Cojitambo se asentó el poder | El Diario Ecuador

[Complejo Arqueológico de Coji][Photograph]. (n.d.). ViajandoX. Info Complejo Arqueológico de Cojitambo |Azogues - Cañar, Ecuador (viajandox.com)

 

Apart from that, there is an archeological site at the top of the mountain. People who do not climb can go to the top of the hill by car and find Inca ruins. It is the Complejo Arqueológico Cojitambo.
There is a lot of history there. On their way to Machu Picchu, Incas must have built those ruins in the mountain. Currently, people from Cojitambo think the Incas chose this hill because of the panoramic view they had from there.  It allowed them to find the best routes and be alert for enemies.

[Cerro Cojitambo][Photograph]. (n.d.). GoRaymi. Cerro Cojitambo (goraymi.com)

 

[Mirador de Cojitambo][Photograph]. (n.d.). Mapio.net. Mirador de Cojitambo | Mapio.net

Nowadays, the view is still marvelous. Tourists take advantage of it to take beautiful pictures. Also, the province prefecture is developing a project at the top of Cojitambo mountain due to the view. It is a glass viewing platform. The prefect may have planned it a long time ago because the project is well designed.

There are many things to enjoy in Cojitambo. It is a place to visit with family, friends, or your couple. You may have thought about a place like this one, may you not? So, what are you waiting to go? You will be more than welcome here!

References

Complejo Arqueológico Cojitambo. (n.d.). GoRaymi. Retrieved July 4, 2021 from https://www.goraymi.com/es-ec/canar/azogues/zonas-arqueologicas/complejo-arqueologico-cojitambo-ajsqgf51j