Historic Centre of Santa Ana de los Ríos de Cuenca, Ecuador

The main altar of the Catedral de la Immaculada Conception in Cuenca, Ecuador
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cuenca_Ecuador_Catedral_Nueva_01.jpg
Author: Cayambe


Historic Centre of Santa Ana de los Ríos de Cuenca is the heritage core of the third largest city in Ecuador. The city of Santa Ana de los Ríos de Cuenca, or simply Cuenca, was founded in 1557 and laid on a formal orthogonal town plan devised by King Charles V of Spain. It became a melting pot for the local and immigrant populations.

Most of the heritage buildings of Cuenca date from the 19th century, when a burst of economic prosperity brought on by the production and export of quinine, straw hats and other products fueled a constrution boom.

Historic Centre of Santa Ana de los Ríos de Cuenca was inscribed as a World Heritage Site during the 23rd session of the World Heritage Committee held in Marrakesh, Morocco, on 29 November to 4 December, 1999.

World Heritage Site Inscription Details

Location: S 2 53 W 78 59
Inscription Year: 1999
Type of Site: Cultural
Inscription Criteria: II, IV, V

Visiting Historic Centre of Santa Ana de los Ríos de Cuenca

There are local flights to Cuenca from Quito provided by Tame and Aero Gal. Within the city it is easy to walk around on foot to visit all its heritage sites.

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