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A Special International Report Prepared by
The Washington Times Advertising Department - Published on April 21, 1999
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(1) Bell South
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Cuenca - The Athens of Ecuador
During the rest of the year, Cuenca is a peaceful town, one of Ecuador's most beautiful. The skyline is filled with shining church domes, cathedrals and museums. In the Monastery of the Conception, nuns create intricate wax pieces. The El Rollo monument is a pyramid, dating back to 1787, which was a symbol of justice during the colonial period. Visitors stroll down cobblestoned streets and plazas full of flowers. As the intellectual center of Ecuador and the birthplace of many artists, philosophers, writers and poets, it has been nicknamed the Athens of Ecuador. Cuenca is also known for its craftsmanship. "Panama" Hats are their specialty. Worn in movies such as Billy Bathgate, they can cost up to $5,000 in Germany. The elaborately woven hats were first made in Montecristo, Ecuador and sent to the workers on the Panama Canal, where President Teddy Roosevelt began calling them Panama Hats. This old art is still practiced at Homero Ortega, one of Cuenca's best known factories. Here the deveined leaves of tropical palm trees are woven, beaten, colored, and pressed into hundreds of different styles. Artisans use magnifying glasses and can take up to a month to weave a finely woven masterpiece. The most expensive hat at Ortega costs $250. These same hats sell for around $3,000 in the United States. Dozens of other crafts are practiced in and around Cuenca. Gold and silver are combined with emeralds, diamonds, topaz and opals to create original jewelry. Yapacunchi, one of Ecuador's best known ceramic companies, creates hundreds of pieces of handpainted ceramics. Other local artists use a potter's wheel or their own imagination to create one-of-a-kind masterpieces. El Centro de Bordados Cuenca hand embroiders t-shirts with traditional scenes. The once lost art of IKAT has been rekindled and is again practiced in this region. Hemp or plastic is twisted around chunks of thread and only specific areas are dyed. The yarn is then used to create clothes, blankets, and many other items.
On the way back to the hotel, which may be the quaint Oro Verde located on a lake filled with ducks, and only a few minutes from the Old City, don’t forget to stop in the Cava San Miguel. Tours show how rum is produced from the most pure and select sugar cane. In the cave, hundreds of caskets of rum are aged. The tour ends with a tasting of their four types of rum Plata, Oro, and 5 and 7 year. The Plata, a light rum, is actually aged at least two years and begins to take on the color of the cask. The color is then removed, which produces a white rum ready to be added to the many varieties of fresh Ecuadorian juices. Cuenca is not known for its active nightlife, but it does have its share of delicious restaurants. From the Oro Verde's fondue restaurant to El Jardin's local specialties to the dozens of restaurants that served delicious grilled meats and fish (especially the local trout), there are plenty of places to go to spend an evening with friends. As a priest and chronicler of folk customs wrote about Cuenca, "I would be sorely tempted to say it is Heaven on Earth." |
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Table of Contents (1) President Mahuad announces new economic plan |
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During Carnival, neighboring Brazil is famous for its elaborate parades, women dressed in revealing bathing suits, and partying. Cuenca is famous for its own celebrations. People of all ages come into the streets of this little colonial town and throw water balloons on passerbys. Balloons come from windows, roofs and around corners. The locals, who wear the Panama Hats that are made in this area, are used to the gag and don't mind getting wet. The tourist, a prime target, might be a bit surprised to suddenly be sopping with water. A few words of advice - don't wear white.
After a few days of walking around Cuenca, stopping to admire the elegantly adorned Cathedrals and the extensive museums, buying flowers, pottery, hats, textiles, and gold, it's time to relax. The soothing baths of Hotel Duran are a ten minute drive from downtown Cuenca. You can spend all day soaking in the mineral pools, getting refreshed in the polar baths, relaxing in a jacuzzi, stopping for a turkish bath or a sauna, and then sitting in the sun with a refreshing fruit drink.