Amazonian Country Located at he heart of the Equatorial Line
Azuay
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This site was last updated on: August, 2, 2022
The Province of Azuay is located south of Ecuador in the
Interandina Region, its capital is Cuenca, known as "Athens of
Ecuador" and it’s located at 2,100m above sea level.
Azuay was created as a province on July 25, 1824, while its
capital was founded on April 12, 1557, and proclaimed by
UNESCO as a world heritage site in 1999. The province of
Azuay is well known for its handicrafts, its fabrics, its toquilla
straw hats and famous jewels are among the most
commercialized in Ecuador.
Cuenca "The promised city" for Americans, according to the
magazine "International Living" this city became the "world
destination" for foreigners in September 2009, in a query from
that magazine, Americans are the ones who have had the
greatest number emigrated to this beautiful city.
Azuay is the most important tourist center in the south of
Ecuador, its climate varies from tropical to glacial. Its
geographical location directly influences its two marked
seasons, wet and dry. Both the presence of the Andean region
and the subtropical zone mean that this province has areas with
temperatures that vary between 20 ° C and 33 ° C in the west
and between 20 ° C and 33 ° C in the Andean area
Province of Azuay
History……
Visitors to this beautiful province can enjoy of great variety of landscapes, valleys, mountains and tropical vegetation.
One of these sites is Cajas National Park located in the Paramo of Cajas with over 270 lakes and lagoons. In the lower
parts of the park 600 species of vascular plants have been recorded, 43 of mammals, 157 of birds (24 of them
hummingbirds), 17 of amphibians and 4 of reptiles.
Cuenca's old cathedral was built in 1557, this cathedral was used by its inhabitants until 1885 when the new cathedral
was built. Now it is a tourist attraction where visitors can enter to admire what remains of it.
The new cathedral of Cuenca is an architectural beauty that was built
in 1885 when the old cathedral could not house all the inhabitants who
wanted to worship God. The design of the church is a mixture of Neo-
Gothic and Roman Renaissance styles.
Gualaceo is a place to visit while in Azuay, nicknamed “El Jardin del
Azuay” (The Garden of Azuay) is located in the sierra side of the
province. Rich in traditions, artisan crafts, and a lot of celebrations and
festivals of their culture.
For orchid lovers, this a place to enjoy the great variate of this coveted plant, Gualaceo with its perfect climate for this
delicate flower, is one of the most important exporter of orchids nationally and internationally.