Travel Guide Cajabamba

17 km west of Riobamba. Cajabamba, a small village somewhat neglected, dates from 1534. It preserves in its upper part the vestiges of the first colonial village destroyed in 1797 by an earthquake. The church of Balbanera, named after the Benedictine monastery of Logroño, which houses the monastery of Our Lady of Valvanera, was the first to be built by the Spaniards. All that remains of the period is the elaborate façade to which a new nave has been added. The Virgin of La Balbanera is celebrated here on 8 September. The lower part of the village comes alive around the Sunday market where agricultural products, weavings, carpets, leather goods, etc. are traded