Roaming South America

Ambato, Ecuador

December 28, 2022

Ambato, Ecuador: "The city of flowers and fruits" is in a high valley in the Andes Mountains, south of Quito and north of Cuenca. The city has a population of around 170,000, but the entire metropolitan area, which includes several other small cities, raises it to close to half a million. The city sits at an altitude of 2580 meters (8465 feet). There is evidence of the area being peopled going back about 2000 years. There were several indigenous tribes co-existing in the area until the 14th century when the Incas came in. Then they came to their end when the Spanish conquistadores arrived. The town of Ambato was first named in 1534. In 1570 they set out delineating the streets and plazas and where the church would be built. The church construction started in 1603. In 1698 the city was virtually wiped out by an earthquake that killed more than 550 non-indigenous people and over 1200 indigenous people. The second town of Ambato was founded in 1698. By 1756 there were about 6500 people living in Ambato. But, in 1797 another earthquake wiped out the town for the second time. More than 200 people died. Ambato was refounded, again, this time in 1698. By 1785 it had a population of more than 52,000. In 1755, Ambato received one of the first printing presses in South America. Then, in 1949, was yet another devastating earthquake. This one destroyed the neighboring towns and about a third of Ambato. The estimated death toll was as high as 2700. The church was destroyed and replaced with a new cathedral in 1954. To help people recover, in 1950, the city held a festival called "Festival of fruits and flowers" which has continued every year since. Now it is part of the yearly carnival.

Quevedo, Ecuador

December 26, 2022

Quevedo, Ecuador: Quevedo has a population of around 150,000. This small city has a bustling city center that is walking-friendly—very wide sidewalks with lots of benches and many statues of animals make it fun for children. The main industries in this area are agriculture and livestock. The name "Quevedo" comes from a surveyor named Timoteo Quevedo. He was the first to measure the lands of what would become the city. After that, they started rubber production in 1857 and the city took off from there.

Quevedo dates back to around 500 BC and those people lasted until the Spanish conquistadors wiped them out in 1526.

Milagro, Ecuador

December 24, 2022

Milagro, Ecuador: Around 135,000 live in the city of San Francisco de Milagro. The city is known as the "sweetest land in Ecuador" because of its sugar cane and pineapple farming. Milagro sits about 45 kilometers (28 miles) east of Guayaquil and is considered a bedroom city of Guayaquil.

Milagro dates back to 1786. The story is that a couple, María de Salcedo and her husband Don Miguel de Salcedo, had moved from the mountains down into the plains of the river, and María got sick. An indigenous neighbor gave Don Miguel some roots and told him how to make a potion with them, which he did, and he gave the potion to María. She was healed of the deathly illness. The people living in the area began calling their home "the house of the miracle." In 1786, Don Miguel asked the governor of Guayaquil if they could name the area of their home and neighbors "Milagro" (miracle). And so started the town of Milagro.

Playas, Ecuador

December 23, 2022

Playas, Ecuador: Less than 40,000 live in the city of Playas, but in the entire metropolitan area there are around 70,000. The major industry here is tourism, followed by fishing. The area is known for it's seafood restaurants. There is a large shrimp farming industry, and many farms are growing the pitaya fruit (dragon fruit). As for any historical info, there isn't a lot. The city dates back to the colonial era (there's nothing more specific than that). From the pre-Columbian era there are traces of indigenous communities along the coast in this area, which survived until the Spanish conquistadors conquered the area. In 1901 the powers-that-were in Guayaquil decided to turn the area of Playas into an actual town. Then in the mid-20th century, it started to grow exponentially.

Puerto Lopez, Ecuador

December 21, 2022

Puerto Lopez, Ecuador: The Spaniards settled this area in the early 1800s although there has been evidence found that shows the area has been populated as far back as 3500BC. It has only been since the 1840s that the town has experienced much growth. Fishing is the primary industry, as well as tourism. There are many hotels, hostels, and restaurants, especially along the very nice malecon (boardwalk). Whalewatching is popular here and there are several tour outfits that will take you out to see the whales. Not far offshore, about 40 kilometers, is Isla de la Plata (Island of Silver). There are stories that pirates hid their treasures on the island. Now it is a wildlife refuge and only a small number of tour operators are allowed to take visitors to the island. It is also known as the 'poor mans Galapagos'.