Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands - Geodyssey

Ecuador ê GUIDE
Andes
An extraordinary number of high volcanoes,
wonderful scenery, colourful farming
communities, expert weavers and crafts
people, historic haciendas, and untouched
nature make Ecuador the epitome of the
Andean world.
W
onderful scenery is commonplace
almost everywhere you travel in the
Andes, but the central highlands
south of Quito offer some of the loveliest
mountain scenery in the country. The fertile
valley between the main eastern and western
sierras has been heavily populated since pre-
Incan times. Large haciendas control the best
land on the valley floor, while higher slopes
are farmed by Quichua-speaking families who
wring small crops of potatoes and maize from
precipitous fields and terraces. Their winding
lanes and peaceful hamlets, coupled with
immense views, volcanic peaks, beautiful crater
lakes, and ‘perpetual spring’ weather, make
many parts of the sierras especially good for
walking and trekking.
The Incan Royal Road between Quito and
Cusco in Peru followed the valley’s contours, as
does the modern Pan-American Highway and
the old railway line, whose westward branch
plunges down the Devil’s Nose towards the
Pacific.
The Avenue of the Volcanoes
In this part of Ecuador, the Andes are at their
most volcanic, with over fifty peaks (a good
number of them active) pushing upwards from
the colliding tectonic plates below. Alexander
von Humboldt described the route south
from Quito to Riobamba as the ‘Avenue of the
Volcanoes’, with the peaks of the twin sierras
arrayed on either side.
Driving south on the Pan American Highway
on a fine day gives dramatic views of Pichincha
(4,675m), Atacazo (4,463m), Corazón
(4,788m), Ilinizas (5,248m), Carihuayrazo
(5,028m) and Chimborazo (6,310m) in
the western chain, while seen to the east are
Pasochoa (4,199m), Rumiñahui (4,712m),
Cotopaxi (5,897m), Quilindaña (4,877m),
Tungurahua (5,029m), El Altar (5,319m), and
Sangay (5,230m). The snow-line is usually
around 5,000m.
The most impressive of these are Cotopaxi
and Chimborazo.
Cotopaxi is one of the highest active
volcanoes in the world. Its perfectly
symmetrical cone covered in a thick blanket
of snow and ice rises gracefully from a
beautiful high plain of grasslands grazed by
herds of wild horses who gather to drink at
the lovely Limpiopungo lagoon–a good spot
for waterfowl and other birds, with the jagged
white peaks of nearby Rumiñahui volcano
reflected in its surface.
Walking in Cotopaxi National Park you
will notice volcanic debris of pumice and ash
amid the tiny páramos plants. On a day trip it
is possible to drive as high as 4,600m on the
slopes of the volcano then hike up a scree to
reach the snout of its glacier at 4,800m. The
thinness of the air means this short distance
The Incas at Ingapirca
The Incan empire began to expand in Peru in 1438 and
spread into Ecuador through a series of conquests and
alliances dating from 1516. Less than twenty years later
it had been extinguished by the Incan civil war and the
Spanish conquest. In this short space of time it had a
remarkable effect, both culturally in the organisation of
society and the introduction of the Quichua language,
and physically in terms of roads and buildings. The
most important Incan site in Ecuador is at Ingapirca,
north of Cuenca. Here a temple complex incorporating
classic Inca stonework with precisely fitted ‘pillow’
blocks is built upon earlier Cañari structures.
Ingapirca lies in a graceful setting on a low hill. At its
centre is a substantially intact temple of the sun, with
inwardly tapering walls of supremely well-fitted stone
blocks and a trapezoidal doorway, hallmarks of the
finest Incan construction. Laid out around the temple
are the low remains of a great plaza, and of a good
number of buildings that must have included official
residences, stores, houses, barracks and a tambo or inn
for travellers on the Royal Road between Quito and
Cusco in Peru.
The nearby town of Cañar is notable for fine weaving
and its busy Sunday market.
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