Cayambe, Ecuador

Cayambe is an agricultural service city (population 39,028 at the last census on November 28, 2010) in highland Ecuador. It lies at the foot of the Cayambe volcano. While the city is mainly peopled by mestizos, the surrounding rural population is primarily composed of indigenous people who are mainly involved in subsistence agriculture, dairy farming and procurement of lumber. It's the third largest city in Pichincha Province.

Cayambe

Kayampi
Municipality
Flag
Seal
Motto(s): 
It is my passion (Es mi Pasion)
Cayambe
Location of Cayambe within Pichincha and Ecuador
Coordinates: 0°02′38″N 78°09′22″W
CountyEcuador
ProvincePichincha
CantonCayambe
Legal creationJuly 23, 1883
Urban parishes
List
  • Ayora
  • Cayambe
  • Juan Montalvo
Government
Elevation
2,830 m (9,280 ft)
Population
 (INEC census 2010-11-28)
 • Total39,028
 Decadal national census by the Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos (INEC)
Time zoneUTC-5 (ECT)
Climate14° Csb
Websitehttps://web.archive.org/web/20090226040737/http://www.municipiocayambe.gov.ec/

History

Cayambe's indigenous people of today are descendants of the pre-Inca Kayambi people. The Kayambi were resistant to Inca expansion and were only definitively conquered by Huayna Capac (the eleventh Sapa Inca of the Inca Empire) after a bloody 20-year war. At that time, the Kayambi people adopted the Kichwa language, a dialect of the Quechua family of languages. Not long afterwards, in the 16th century, the first Spanish conquistadores arrived in the region. Kichwa survives in some of the hamlets today, while in others it has given way to Spanish.

Government

The town of Cayambe is the seat of the canton of Cayambe.

Industry

The area hosts numerous flower plantations, whose products are destined for the overseas cut flower market. Among the local food products, better known are cheese and biscochos de Cayambe (a crumbly biscuit).

Points of interest

There are two monuments at the Equator in Cayambe:

  1. The Quitsato Sundial, which is a touristic sundial, and very possibly one of the most accurate places in the world created to determine equator position.
  2. A globe monument, known as "La Bola" (The Ball), which is located 46 kilometres (29 mi) from Quito at the Pan-American Highway.

In the surroundings of Cayambe are some interesting points to visit: The waterfalls of Cariacu, the virgin forests of Paquiestancia, and the arquelogical museum near Puntazil.

  • The ball on the Pan-American Highway.
  • Quitsato Sundial, located on the Equator in Cayambe, Ecuador.
  • Balcon 2 Hemisferios, located on the Equator in Cayambe, Ecuador.
  • Two Otavalo girls in Cayambe.

See also

References
    This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.