Capital of the province of Azuay, Cuenca is today the third most important city of the country (behind Guayaquil and Quito), with several universities and an intense commercial, cultural and artistic activity, which has always characterized it. The city was founded in 1557 by Gil Ramirez Dávalos, governor of Quito, by order of the Viceroy of Peru, Don Andrés de Mendoza. The peculiarity of its soil and the origins of its interbreeding have given its inhabitants a singular identity that they have been able to preserve and cultivate over the years. Originally, Cuenca was the Inca city of Tomebamba, considered the cradle of King Huayna Capac, itself built on what was Guapdondelig (which means "plain as big as the sky"), city of the Cañari people. The Incas who came from the south called it Paucabamba, flowery valley. At the time of the colonization, Spanish and Italian craftsmen installed there schools of art (architecture, sculpture and painting), formerly famous in all Latin America. They are at the origin of the artistic treasures of the city.

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Pictures and images Cuenca

Crépuscule sur la ville de Cuenca. Stéphan SZEREMETA
Confortable maison d'expatrié équatorien. Stéphan SZEREMETA
Paysage andin de la région de Cuenca. Stéphan SZEREMETA
Les coupoles bleues de la nouvelle cathédrale de Cuenca. Stéphan SZEREMETA
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