Our visit in Cuenca took us away from outdoor adventuring and more towards the historical side of things. Cuenca is the most modern of the colonial cities we have visited, and has a population of approximately 700,000. The city center is a UNESCO world heritage site and we decided to focus the majority of our time downtown to explore all of its character.

With several churches, museums, and open markets we had plenty to do and see. The churches are open to visitors and are well lit at night to highlight the details of their architecture. The city’s oldest church was transformed into a museum after the proposal to build the cathedral, Catedral Nueva. Both are stunning buildings that sit opposite each other at Parque Calderon, the city square.

One of Ecuador’s exports is fresh cut flowers and the flower market across from the cathedral is beautiful. Several stalls are set up in the small square and line the street heading toward the artisan market where you will find another export, Panama hats.

The highlight for us was the Museo del Banco Central, recently renamed Museo de Pumapungo and the Pumapungo archeological park that sits along the Rio Tomebamba. We spent an afternoon walking through the museum learning about Cuenca’s artwork, beautiful Inca artifacts, the history of Ecuador’s currency and the diversity of its indigenous cultures before walking along the river.

We head out of the mountains today and will overnight in the port town of Machala where Ecuador exports bananas...stay tuned!