Ambato

Ambato , town of Ecuador of 297001 inhabitants (census of November 2001).

Geography

Ambato is the chief town of the province of the Tungurahua (which owes its name with the volcano of the same name). It is located at 128 km. in the south of Quito on the Pan-American Highway, in full center of the countries and to 2.577 Mr. of altitude. (Latitude: 1º13' 28" South, Longitude: 78º37' 11" West).

Encircled by the Volcano S, Ambato is at one hour of road of the Tungurahua and the Chimborazo, and two hours of the Cotopaxi. It is thus the ideal place to begin the rise of these mountains (opinion with the mountaineers…)

The climate is moderate all the year and the temperature varies between 14 and 19°C.

The city is crossed by the río Ambato which separates the districts from Ficoa, Atocha and Pinllo, of the center of the city.

History

Before the arrival of Incas, Hambato was the name of a populated state independent of natives coming from the Amazonian area. These people had exotic names such as Huapantis , Píllaros , Quisanpichas , Izambas and Hambatos . Hambato signifirait : the hill of the frog !

After the foundation of Quito by the Spanish conquistadors, those moved towards the area of Ambato on order of Benalcazar. They vainquèrent INCA resistance to the head of which then the valorous Rumiñahui was.

At the 17th century, the first Imprimerie of the country settled in Ambato. And in 1835, the first newspaper is published in this city. Since, Ambato became a center of diffusion of the thought written in the country.

The November 12th 1820, the city obtained its independence thanks to a revolutionary movement initiated by a group of armed patriots ordered by Cipriano Delgado. The army of Antonio Jose de Sucre arrived then of Guayaquil to release the city of Spanish before famous the Bataille of Pichincha.

The August 5th 1949, the city, already striped chart in 1698, was entirely destroyed by an earthquake which made approximately 3000 victims. It was rebuilt thereafter, but lost the traces of colonization mainly…

Economy

It acts above all of an industrial town. Textile industry and agroalimentary is most important, but cars there are assembled also and its large agricultural market is a center of interest for all the Indian communities of the surroundings.

Every Monday, day of the market, the Indians go down downtown to sell their products (cereals, fruits, vegetables, flowers). on the mercados Mayorista , Ferroviario , Central and Modelo . The population passes then from 300000 to 400000 people

Culture

Since 1951, the fiesta of the fruta of mow flora (the festival of the fruit and flowers) is very famous there in all Ecuador. It takes place at the period of the carnival, lasts one week and is brightened various processions, exposures of art, spectacles folkoric, bullfights, sporting events, festivals of dances and theater…

The city is famous for its fruits, its flowers, its bread ( side of Pinllo ) and its guinea-pigs ( cuyes of Ficoa ).

Ambato is also the ground of the three Juan: Juan Montalvo, Juan León Mera (Ecuadorian writers) and Juan Benigno Calved (politician). The villas ( quinta ) of the first two cities are preserved with attention and are among the only attractions tourist of the city itself.

See too

Towns of Ecuador
governmental Site of the city
general Documentation on the city
Newspaper “El Heraldo”

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