Roaming South America

Catamayo, Ecuador

January 9, 2023

Catamayo, Ecuador: Population: about 30,000. One of the tourist attractions nearby is the Chicaca Tunnel. It is a tunnel dug out of the mountain by the Incas. There is a gravel road to it, through it, and beyond. I did not make it out to the tunnel on this visit to Catamayo, but I will on my next. And, there will definitely be a next because I like this town.

The city dates back to the 16th century but it was in the 19th century when it really started to take off. The main industries are agriculture, the production of tiles and bricks, sugar, and tourism. Catamayo sits in a valley in the Andes Mountains, surrounded by mountains.

Machala, Ecuador

January 7, 2023

Machala, Ecuador: They call it the "Banana capital of the world" because the port here is where the Ecuadoran bananas are shipped out to countries all around the world. This part of Ecuador is basically all banana plantations, right up to the edge of the city. Machala has a population of around 232,000 but the entire metropolitan area is almost a half-million.

Santa Isabel, Ecuador

January 5, 2023

Santa Isabel, Ecuador: a small town south of Cuenca and built on the side of the Yunguilla Valley, and I mean literally going up the side of the valley. The population is around 21,000. The average elevation is 970 meters (3182 feet). The original name was Chaguarurco, which according to the original language means "sheltered, hot". It was originally peopled by the Cañris indigenous people until the Spanish conquistadors came in and exploited the gold mines. They did such a bad job of mining that the mountain collapsed onto the mines killing numerous indigenous and Spanish people. The mines were buried under so much earth they had to be abandoned. Later, in the 17th century, there was an epidemic that just about wiped out the town. The town finally was recognized officially as Santa Isabel in 1945.

Cuenca, Ecuador

January 3, 2023

Cuenca, Ecuador: The area of Cuenca has been inhabited all the way back to 8060 BC. Yeah, there is archeological evidence of inhabitants in this area, specifically in the cave called Chopsi. That culture was most evident around 5585 BC. Beginning around 2000 BC the people started organizing their society with delegated responsibilities, administration, and religious authorities (shamans). From around 500 AD until around 1500 the Cañri and Tacalshapa III people were absorbed into the Inca civilization. Archeologists believe Cuenca was founded around 500 AD. The Spanish settled the area and called it Cuenca in 1557. It became an independent city in 1820. Now, the city has a population of around a half-million, with around 5000-7000 expatriates of all nations living in Cuenca.

Puyo, Ecuador

January 1, 2023

Puyo, Ecuador: Puyo, dating back to 1899, sits next to the Puyo River, which dumps into the Pastaza River which dumps into the Amazon River. The population is around 37,000 in the city, but the entire metropolitan area has around 62,000 people. The city sits at the base of the foothills of the Andes Mountains at 930 meters (3051 feet) above sea level. The history of the area actually goes back to 1797 but thats a rather convoluted story filled with political dealings. It was in the middle 1900s that the city started to grow with any significance. Its economy is based on trade, tourism, and agriculture.