Sights in Cuenca
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Río Tomebamba & Calle Larga
The swift, rock-strewn Río Tomebamba is attractively lined with old colonial buildings that tower above the grassy riverside. The buildings themselves open onto the street of Calle Larga, which runs parallel to - and directly above - the river. From Calle Larga, three attractive stone stairways lead down to Avenida 3 de Noviembre, which follows the river's northern bank and makes for a pleasant walk. The largest staircase, at Hermano Miguel, is known as La Escalinata.
One of the river's landmark features is the Puente Roto (Broken Bridge), the remaining third of an old stone bridge that once spanned the river.
Inside one of Calle Larga's historical buildings, the Museo …
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Churches
Two blocks east of Plaza de San Sebastián stands the bare, 19th-century Church of San Cenáculo (cnr Bolívar & Montalvo). One block north of the church is Gran Colombia, the main handicraft and shopping street in Cuenca. The street's landmark building is the Church of Santo Domingo (cnr Gran Colombia & Padre Aguirre), which has some fine carved wooden doors and colonial paintings inside. Although it looks older, the church was built in the early 20th-century.
Although its doors are rarely open to the public, the Church of El Carmen de la Asunción (Mariscal Sucre near Padre Aguirre), founded in 1682, is one of Cuenca's prettiest sights, thanks to the colorful flower mark…
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Museo Pumapungo
Cuenca’s most important museum, Museo Pumapungo has an entire floor of colorfully animated dioramas displaying traditional costumes of Ecuador’s diverse indigenous cultures, including Afro-Ecuadorians from Esmeraldas province, the cowboy-like montubios (coastal farmers) of the western lowlands, several rainforest groups and all the major highland groups. The finale features five rare and eerie tzantza (shrunken heads) from the Shuar culture of the southern Oriente.
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Museo de las Conceptas
This religious museum in the Convent of the Immaculate Conception, founded in 1599, offers a glimpse into centuries-old customs of the cloistered nuns who live here. You can’t actually see the nuns – they’re cloistered, after all – but you can see their primitive bread-making equipment and dioramas of their stark cells, as well as some important religious art. Strangely enough, this old-fashioned nunnery has wi-fi (but only for visitors!).
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Catedral de la Inmaculada Concepción
Parque Calderón is the city's main plaza, dominated by the Catedral de la Inmaculada Concepción, the 'new cathedral,' whose giant sky-blue domes are visible mainly from the rear of the church. Inside, the marbled interior is rather stark. Construction began in 1885, and the cathedral was supposed to be much taller than it is - an error in design meant that the intended bell towers could not be supported by the building.
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Plaza de San Sebastián
Marking the western edge of the historical center, the quiet Plaza de San Sebastián is anchored by the 19th-century Church of San Sebastián. In 1739, when this plaza was still used for bullfights, it was a mob of cuencanos (folks from Cuenca) – not the bull – who mauled a member of La Condamine’s geodesic expedition here, apparently because of an affair with a local woman.
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El Sagrario
This stark-white 'old cathedral' goes almost unnoticed thanks to the stunning Catedral de la Inmaculada Concepción nearby. Construction began in 1557, the year Cuenca was founded. In 1739, it was used as a triangulation point by La Condamine's expedition to measure the shape of the earth. More recently, it was renovated for the 1985 visit of Pope John Paul II to Ecuador.
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Mirador de Turi
For a lovely view of Cuenca, take a taxi south of town along Avenida Solano to the stark white Church of Turi, perched high on a hillside in the southern suburb of Turi. The views are especially splendid on the occasional evenings (usually around holidays) when all of the churches' steeples and domes are lit throughout town. It's about 4km from the center.
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Museo Manuel Agustín Landivar
At the east end of Calle Larga, Museo Manuel Agustín Landivar offers archaeological exhibits and tours of the Ruinas de Todos Santos, which reveal Cañari, Inca and Spanish ruins, layered one over the other. If you don’t want a guide, you can also look at them from below on Avenida de Todos Santos.
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‘Old Cathedral’
The whitewashed ‘old cathedral’ is also known as El Sagrario. Construction began in 1557, the year Cuenca was founded, and in 1739 La Condamine’s expedition used its towers as a triangulation point to measure the shape of the earth. It is now deconsecrated and serves as a religious museum and recital hall.
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Orquideario
If you've any interest in the world's most outrageous and beautiful plant species, you'll love the Universidad de Cuenca's Orquideario. With over 400 species of orchids, it's hailed as one of the country's best. Most plants are in flower between December and May - it's truly a sight to behold!
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Church of Santo Domingo
One block north of Church of San Cenáculo is Gran Colombia, where the Church of Santo Domingo has some fine carved wooden doors and colonial paintings inside. Although it looks older, the church was built in the early 20th century.
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Parque Calderón
Parque Calderón is, without a doubt, Cuenca's showpiece plaza. The city's main plaza is dominated by the Catedral de la Inmaculada Concepción, the 'new cathedral,' whose giant sky-blue domes are visible mainly from the rear of the church.
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Centro Interaméricano de Artes Populares
Just down the stairs on the riverbank, the Centro Interaméricano de Artes Populares exhibits traditional indigenous costumes, handicrafts and artwork from around Latin America and has a classy, well-priced crafts store.
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Church of El Carmen de la Asunción
The stark, white Church of El Carmen de la Asunción, which was founded in 1682, contrasts beautifully with the colorful flower market held on the small Plazoleta del Carmen out front.
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Museo de las Culturas Aborígenes
Along Calle Larga, the labyrinthine Museo de las Culturas Aborígenes has more than 5000 archaeological pieces representing more than 20 pre-Hispanic Ecuadorian cultures going back some 15,000 years.
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Puente Roto
The Puente Roto, most of which was washed away during a flood, can’t be crossed, but its stone arches make a nice venue for an open-air art fair and cultural events every Saturday.
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La Escalinata
From Calle Larga, three attractive stone stairways lead down to Av 3 de Noviembre, which follows Río Tomebamba's north bank and makes for a pleasant walk. The largest staircase is the gorgeous La Escalinata.
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Museo de Arte Moderno
On the south side of the Plaza de San Sebastián the Museo de Arte Moderno, once a home for the insane, is now home to a highly regarded collection of Ecuadorian and Latin American art.
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Laura’s Antiguidades y Curiosidades
Laura’s Antiguidades y Curiosidades showcases a hodgepodge of curios and objets d’art in a 19th-century house. It’s also where you’ll find some of Cuenca’s famous old-time hat makers.
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Museo Remigio Crespo Toral
Inside one of Calle Larga's historical buildings, the Museo Remigio Crespo Toral contains religious sculptures, colonial furniture, paintings and a fine selection of indigenous artifacts.
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Church of San Cenáculo
Two blocks east of Plaza de San Sebastián stands the bare, 19th-century Church of San Cenáculo.
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