Travelling in Ecuador...Nabón

Nabón is located a Hour and half from Cuenca, in the south-east of the province, in the León River Valley, on the way Cuenca-Loja. Nabón means "big turnip". The Inca travellers, and then the Spanish, had to go through the little town on their way to Cuzco, in Perú. A very pretty, colorful, landscape awaits the adventurous tourist, where you can appreciate the Tinajillas, Minas, El Mozo, Cordoncillo, Pallcahurco mountains.  Here you can find the Cañari and Inca ruins called the Ingapirca Castle in Chunazana; the indigenous communities of Shiña and Pucallpa; the local Tequila, called Chahuarmishqui; and the beautiful Botanical Garden, with about 800 species of orchids and bromeliads. 

Crops in Nabón

Landscapes in the region

On December 5th, 2005, Nabón was declared a National Cultural Heritage Site by the INPC (National Institute of Cultural Heritage), due to the 142 colonial houses registered as heritage.

House in Nabón

House in Nabón

The weather is cold, so you should bring warm clothes.

House downtown

Inside of the church

On the way to Nabón: The old road

This photos were taken in the old road to Nabón, where you can see old country houses, beautiful wooden bridges, and the most beautiful adobe houses. It is not a shorter way, but it's magical and totally worthy, if you have time.

The old road

Wooden bridge

During wintertime, it rains a lot, and there are little landslides all over the road, and big rocks fall from the mountains. Please, be careful.

Adobe house

Adobe house

Cañar

Travelling in Ecuador...Ingapirca and El Tambo.

Ingapirca

Ingapirca means "Inca wall", therefore you can find a lot of archaeological sites in the Andes called that way. But there's just one really famous Ingapirca in Ecuador: the one that is located in the province of Cañar, due to the preservation and the original design of the building.

The Temple

The tour starts at the museum, where you can appreciate different samples of pieces, in ceramic, bone, stone, etc. Then the tour though the ruis starts. First, you find the collcas, that the Incas used to store cereals, like silos. Then, there's a place called Pilaloma, where the Incas built rooms for their army, around a square. You can see the site where waterways were built, probable for ceremonial use. The Hatun Kancha (Big Field), was a place where the people used to participate in the religious ceremonies.

Blocks of andesite, taken from the buildings

The main structure is called the "Elipse", "Temple" or "Castle"; it was oriented to west and east by the Inca astronomers and it was the only temple in Tahuantinsuyo (the former Inca nation). It was built in  rusticated blocks of green andesite. This building is unique as is the only structure of Inca construction that had those characteristics. Behind the "Temple", you can see the Ingañawi, a face carved into the rock.

An entrance

You can visit this place every day of the week, from 9h00 to 17h00, with a guide from the community. It's about a 1-hour tour through the ruins. You have to walk on marked trails, and don't step on the walls, as they are very fragile. Please, listen to the guide. You can have lunch at the little restaurants in the community, or buy snacks too, if you want to.

One of the ancient houses

El Tambo

El Tambo is another archaeological site in the province of CAñar, more specifically, in the community of Coyoctor , and is not far from Ingapirca. El Tambo comes from the quichua word "Tampu", that means "rest zone". It was the place where the travelers, the chasquis (Inca messengers) stopped and rested. 

The colonial house

You can have a tour by autoferro, that will take you to Coyoctor, where you will have a guided tour and you can take nice photographs, too.

"Los Baños del Inca" (The Inca baths) is an archaeological place where you can see the Inca Chair, the Cañari Altar, the Inca Baths, a colonial house where now is the Museum.

The "baths"

The Cañari Altar is a carved stone, used for ceremonies, to have good harvests.  You can see carved canals into the stone, a tribute to the Moon and the Stars. Once the Inca Empire conquered the Cañari people, they used this place as a ceremonial and astronomical site.

A llama