Cañar Province - Ecuador

The province of Cañar is the archeological capital of Ecuador, it has all the archeological wealth more important than the country and the province conserves the "Ingapirca Castle". This existed before the arrival of the Incas and faced Spanish rule. On January 26, 2001, he got the name of "Archaeological Capital of Ecuador." Its main site is the archaeological complex of Ingapirca, which has become the center of attraction for students of history and tourists.

Cañar is one of the 24 provinces that make up the Republic of Ecuador. It is located in the south of the country, in the geographical region known as sierra. It has an area of ​​3,908 km² and a population of 225,184 inhabitants. It is one of the oldest provinces in Ecuador, created in 1825 under the government of Ignacio de Veintimilla. The city of Azogues is the provincial capital. Cañar belongs to the region also covered by the provinces of Morona Santiago and Azuay. The province stands out as one of the most important tourist sites in the country, highlighting among others the Ingapirca Fortress, the Culebrillas Lagoon and the city of Azogues.

Cañar Province Demography

The city of Azogues according to the 2010 census is not the most populous city in the province, that title is carried by the coastal city of La Troncal that according to the 2010 census, had 35,259 inhabitants in urban areas while Azogues had in the urban area 33,848 . However, because Azogues is part of the conurbation of Cuenca-Azogues, it is considered much of the metropolitan area of ​​Cuenca that is 37 km away. The Province of Cañar, together with the provinces of Los Ríos, Santa Elena Galapagos and Manabí, is one of the few in which its capital is not the most populous city.

Climate Province of Cañar

Its climatic floors are established in the same way as in the other mountain provinces, that is, Páramo climate in the high plateaus; humid and semi-humid mesothermic to the interior of the province and tropical monsoon in the lower parts of the western foothills.

Hydrography Province of Cañar

The relief is mountainous and occupies for the most part the Cañar pit, which is enclosed by the massifs of the Azuay knot and curiquingue-Buerán, without being limited to the eastern mountain range due to the presence of the Cancay mountains, Buerán and the hills of Melobog. Some elevations in the region are: Coronado (4,518 m), Cerro Molobog rande (3,838 m). Its hydrographic system is structured by a series of rivers such as the Molobog, Chicales, Tigsa and Mazar, irrigating large areas, which facilitates agricultural production.

Flora Province of Cañar

Regarding the flora we find plant species such as: chachaco, sarar, cedar, cedrillo, alder, romerillo, cascarilla, pumamaqui, zhiripe, cecropia, caimito, colca, tarqui, lamay, guabsay, myrtle, pine, cypress, eucalyptus, among others; medicinal plants such as galuay (gañal) and anise. Among the native plants that stand out are bromeliads, orchids and epiphytes.

Fauna Province of Cañar

The Protective Forest Doubts Mazar Bajo, is home to some 15 species of mammals, the most prominent being the tapir, the bear, the pajonal cat, the puma and the deer. In the rivers there is the rainbow trout and the native species called preñadilla. Rainbow trout is well known, it is said to be the species that displaced the prewl from the waters, a native species that is now almost impossible to find.

Orography Province of Cañar

The Canton Cañar, located in the highlands of the Andes Mountains, has a rugged topography, presenting elevations of different height throughout its geography as the Buerán with a height above sea level of 3,806.00 m; the Molobog, with 3,490.00 m.s.n.m .; Huirapungo with 3,163 m.a.s.l. The mountain ranges of Chichil, the hill of Cutuhuay and Bulobulo in Suscal.
The mountain ranges of Puruvin, Malal and Caucay in the parish of Gualleturo. Additionally, the vast extension of the canton makes it have limits with the province of Guayas in the western part, so that from the Andes mountain range it goes down to the plains of the coast, practically, at sea level in the parishes of Chontamarca and Ventura, San Antonio and General Morales.

Economic development Cañar Province

In the agricultural aspect there is a variety of crops such as wheat, barley, potatoes, vegetables, legumes, vegetables and grassland areas in temperate zones; In the warm sectors coffee, rice, sugar cane, bananas and various tropical fruits are produced. In forested areas you can find species such as cedar, laurel, stick stick and ishpingo. Livestock has its greatest importance in raising cattle, which allows a good production of milk and meat.

Small industry and manufacturing is considered a valuable source of economic income, mainly in the food, footwear, textile and wooden furniture branches. It is necessary to mention the Cement Guapán factory and Ingenio Aztra as supports of the provincial and national economy. In the mining area there are little exploited deposits of kaolin, clay, bentonite and coal, in places near the city of Azogues.

Tourist Places in the Province of Cañar

Ruins of Ingapirca: It is an authentically uncharacteristic construction, made at the beginning of the 16th century of our era, having been able to be an observatory of the sun and the moon shortly before the arrival of the Spaniards in that area. The set of archaeological remains of Ingapirca is registered by the outside world at least since the mid-eighteenth century, although there are references to the place where these buildings are located - Cañar Valley - since the sixteenth century, when it was known as the province of Hatun Cañar (Quichua: Hatun Kañar), which means "the big place of the Cañar".

Biblián: Here is the famous Shrine of the Grotto of the Virgen del Rocío, of surprising beauty. The cathedral carved into the rock is built on top of a hill with uneven slopes.

The Tambo: It owes its name to the fact that in the Inca era "Tambos" was called the resting or stopping places on long trips to somewhere. It is a small town that has a well restored church, with several pieces of religious art.

Déleg: It is the oldest parish, and the beautiful bell tower of its church corresponds to the colonial era.

Abuga: It shows gallardo and important in pyramidal form, it is the emblematic mountain of the origin of the Canaris.

Cerro Cojitambo: Strategic site where the entire region is dominated, there are archaeological remains of what could have been a Pucará Cañari Inka.

Yanayacu Spa: It is very attractive for tourists for its healthy waters.

Cemetery of the Cañaris: In the vicinity of Cañar is a place known as Cerro Narrio, former cemetery of the Cañaris.

Laguna de Culebrillas: The landscape surrounding the lagoon will surprise you. about 500 meters from the lagoon is the Tambo de Paredones.

Typical Meals Province of Cañar

Cascaritas de Chancho (Azogues): This traditional dish of the sector is desired by its own and strangers and consists of browning the animal's leather, slicing it with a knife and serving it with mote, salt and chili to taste.

Potatoes with guinea pig (Cañar): This is a traditional Cañar dish. It consists of cooked potatoes, dipped in peanuts and roasted guinea pig. It is served accompanied by mote and chili pepper.

Chiviles (Suscal): they are made of cornmeal, with cheese filling, wrapped in huicundo leaves and cooked in clay pots, which according to their inhabitants are what give the typical flavor of the place.

Fry: In a pan, place the fat first and then the meat with the dressings. When you see that just lack of browning put the potatoes and the ripe ones so that they get flavor. Accompany with nickname.

Source:

1. https://www.ecured.cu/Provincia_de_Ca%C3%B1ar_(Ecuador)
2. https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Provincia_de_Ca%C3%B1ar
3. https://discoverectadorandmore.com/provincia-de-canar/gastronomia-comidas-tipicas-de-canar.html

Images:

1. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tele_of_Sol_of_Rouinas_of_Ingapirca.jpg