Cuenca << KWEHNG kah >> is one of the largest cities in Ecuador. It stands 8,500 feet (2,591 meters) above sea level in the Andes Mountains in the southern part of the country. The municipality of Cuenca has a population of 361,524. A municipality may include rural areas as well as the urban center. Cuenca’s breathtaking mountain setting, mild climate, and colonial-era buildings make it a city of special beauty.
Spaniards founded Cuenca in 1557 on the ruins of Tomebamba, a northern outpost of the Inca civilization. The region remains home to the Cañar Indians, a strongly independent people whom the Inca recently had conquered when the Spaniards arrived. In the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, an industry producing handmade “Panama hats” developed in Cuenca and the surrounding region. Cuenca has long been a center for the trade and shipping of agricultural products, as well as a center of government and Roman Catholic Church activity. Since the early 1800’s, Cuenca has played a significant role in Ecuadorean politics. The country’s commercially minded coastal region and more traditional highlands historically have competed for Cuenca’s political support.
