Former Palace of Justice in Cuenca

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Cuenca's Old Cathedral & Museum

The Old Cathedral or Iglesia del Sagrario is an emblematic building in the Historic Center that marks the south-east corner of Calderon Park. It is considered to be the oldest building in Cuenca. The church was planned since the very moment of the city’s foundation in 1557, when the original layout designated a block of land to build it. Its foundations were built with carved stones from the Cañari-Inca city of Tomebamba. Some milestones are part of the history of this church. For example, the building work took three and a half centuries, between extensions, adaptations and ornamentation works, always counting on the contribution of the city's inhabitants. It was finished in 1924, with the mural painting of the artist Nicolás Vivar. Another important event occurred in the 18th century, when the French Geodesic Mission of 1736 used the church’s old tower to measure the arc of the earth's meridian. A commemorative plaque, attributed to the Colombian sage Caldas, says "Tower more famous than the pyramids of Egypt", in reference to the Geodesic Mission. The first public clock was installed in the bell tower overlooking Sucre Street in 1751. And the first bellows organ in the city, which still exists today, was mounted in the church choir in 1739. Another very singular fact is that Cuenca is one of the few cities in Ecuador, if not the only one, that has two cathedrals one in front of the other: The New or Immaculate Cathedral and the Old Cathedral. For some decades the Old Cathedral stopped being used for regular religious services and after its most recent renovation in 1999, it became a Museum of Religious Art and a place for concerts and cultural events. Its art collection includes sculptures by Miguel Vélez and Gaspar Sangurima and paintings by Daniel Alvarado, Nicólas Henriquez and Rafael Vivar. In addition, it is possible to admire the original model of the New Cathedral, work of Juan Baustista Stiehle, exposed in one of the chapels of the Church and through an archaeological window it is possible to observe the ossuary in the subsoil of the temple. In the house of the canons there is a permanent exhibition of old photographs of Cuenca. The Old Cathedral offers guided tour service for visitors.

0.05 Km.

Cloister and Wood-Turning Lathe of El Carmen

The facade of the Cloister and Church of Carmen de La Asunción is one of the most interesting places in the Historical Centre of Cuenca (World Heritage Site by UNESCO), due to the colorful images it generates together with the Flowers’ Market. The order of nuns of El Carmen or "Carmelitas Descalzas" (Barefoot Carmelitas) was established in the city of Cuenca in the year 1682. The Monastery occupies the inside of the block opposite where the New Cathedral stands today. The most representative feature of this cloistered monastery is the wood-turning lathe, which is fitted into a hole in the wall next to the entrance door to the convent. It is used to pass objects from the outside to the inside and vice versa, without the people who give or receive them being seen. In other words, the lathe is an intermediary object between the cloister and the outside world, the means of communication between the contemplative and profane life. A few steps away from the wheel is a picture of the "Lord of Justice", which the Catholic faithful use to ask for divine intervention when they believe that earthly justice has failed them. People come to the wood-turning lathe to ask for spiritual advice. On the lintel of the entrance door to the monastery one can read "This is God's house and the door to heaven". People also go to the wood-turning lathe or to the humble shops next to the entrance of the house, in search of artisan products made by the Carmelites with medicinal plants and flowers, which they cultivate in the gardens of the cloister. They have a natural apothecary's shop. The "agua de pítimas" is the most popular. After drinking it people ask for a "piti más" or a little bit more. Other products are: red, white, blackberry and passion fruit wine, radish syrup, multivitamin syrup, lotion for muscle aches, pigeon jelly, lemon cream, cakes and snacks. The convent houses mural paintings, the most important in Cuenca and one of the most outstanding in America, sculptures and an enormous cliff or birthplace of Jesus. It is an authentic museum of religious art. The Carmelites are in charge of preserving the image of the "Traveler Child ", a sculpture of the newborn Jesus, and they also embroider his clothes by hand. This representation of Jesus Christ as a child presides every year, on December 24th, over the Pase Mayor or "Parade of the Traveler Child". The construction of the Church of Carmen began in 1727. It has a portal with Solomonic columns. It is small, with only one nave.

0.10 Km.

Calderon Park (Central Park) in Cuenca

The Calderon Park, since the foundation of the city four and a half centuries ago, is the heart of Cuenca, the central point of its social, political and religious activities, or a silent witness to its most relevant historical events. It has been called Abdon Calderon Park since 1932, when the cast bronze statue of the "Héroe Niño" was located, which is eternally guarded by the giant Chilean araucarias, planted in 1875 by former president Luis Cordero. Its name evolved with the city, called Plaza Pública at the beginning of this one, then it became Plaza Grande or Mayor, Plaza Principal y de Armas, Plaza Vargas Torres at the beginning of the 20th century. Its benches are a meeting place for retirees, students or all kinds of walkers. It is a working place for photographers, street musicians, craftsmen, shoe shiners, newspaper and magazine sellers. Its gazebo is the stage for various cultural and political events or the secret accomplice of lovers. It is also famous for its portals that offer shelter from the rain or a hot sunny day or the design of its trees and flowers in geometric flower pots. The marble facades of the Palace of Justice and the New Cathedral stand out in the Park. Every year it is the venue for authentic popular festivals. The first established with the Cuenca Foundation is the "Septenario" in the month of June - 7 days of celebration in honour of the Body of Christ or "Corpus Christi" - which is manifested by the sale of sweets in traditional stalls on the paths around the park, fireworks called "castles" and "mad cows" or the raising of hot air balloons. Thousands of citizens gather every night, for 1 week, to watch the show. The second one is known as "El Pase del Niño Viajero", which takes place every December 24th. Center of the power, the Park in its surroundings lodges the main public buildings of political, judicial, religious, cultural and commercial institutions: the Old Cathedral, the house of the Family Ordóñez Mata, the Governor's Office of the province of the Azuay, stores Juan Eljuri, Vatex Galleries, Tosi House, the Old Seminary, the New Cathedral, the House of the Culture, the notaries, the Municipality of Cuenca, the Superior Court of Justice, BanEcuador. In recent years, the Calle Santa Ana, which is part of the original layout of the city, was reopened to tourism.

0.10 Km.

Building of the Mayor's Office

Interest : Culture Type : Historic House Friendly to : children, families, seniors, handicapped, pets Relevant categories : Cuenca's Historic District World Cultural Site by UNESCO - Within Cajas Massif Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO - Cultural National Heritage by the Ecuadorian Government Hours : Monday to Friday 09:00 - 18:00, Saturdays 09:00 - 13:00 The building of the Mayor's Office of Cuenca belongs to the select group of patrimonial constructions that are the pride of the inhabitants of the city. Luis Donoso Barba built it for the headquarters of the Banco del Azuay, an entity that operated there from May 24, 1929 until its liquidation in 1999. Due to the façade of this building, in addition to the façades of the Superior Court of Justice, the New Cathedral and other houses in the historical center, the city is known as the "city of marble". In 2002, the Municipality of Cuenca received the building as a donation. It has an area of 2,500 m2. The ground floor is occupied by a gallery for artistic exhibitions. On the second floor there are the offices of the mayor, vice-mayor, the alternate room for the councillors, the secretary, the trade union and the financial management. The neoclassical-style building, without an internal courtyard, has spacious halls connecting various rooms. On the second floor, the brass ceiling stands out. It is undoubtedly one of the best examples of the French influence on Cuenca's architecture in the early 20th century. Its architect fulfilled the intention of its owners: to reflect greatness, luxury and economic power. The now disappeared Banco del Azuay was the first in Cuenca. Founded in 1913, in 1914 it became a pioneering entity when it printed the first Ecuadorian 1, 2, 5, 10 sucres banknotes.

0.10 Km.

Santa Ana Colonial Street

Santa Ana Street, flanked in all its extension by the moles of the New Cathedral and the old Seminary, is the exact point where the city of Cuenca began its development, half a century ago. On the 12th of April 1557, a small group of 30 people, gathered in what was the only street of the place, next to an irrigation channel, solemnly founded the city, which is now a World Cultural Heritage Site. Unfortunately, the memory of the street fell asleep. The space of this one was occupied during decades for other tasks. Abusive characters ended up walled up by means of arbitrary measures and it became the extension of an educational center, during a large part of the 20th century. Fortunately for the history of the city, Santa Ana Street, named after the mother of the Virgin Mary, was rehabilitated for pedestrian traffic. It is a beautiful cobbled passage in the middle of the block, connecting from east to west Benigno Malo Street with Padre Aguirre. For the people of Cuenca, the street is a symbol of identity and of the rich heritage of the city. Reopened in 2017. Since then it has quickly become an important tourist attraction in the Historical Centre. Those who decide to walk through it must do so slowly. This is the only way to capture details such as the stained glass windows, the exposed brick or the sculptures of the New Cathedral on one side; the offers of shops, restaurants, cafes and the architecture of the old Seminary on the other side. During the restoration of the street, two archaeological windows were opened, for the observation of vestiges, like the first drains of the Cathedral or an old well. The latter was converted by the citizens into a "hole of desire". They throw inside it coins of different denominations or letters.

0.16 Km.

Cuenca's Flowers Market

Buying flowers was never as beautiful as in “Plaza de las Flores” or Cuenca's Flowers Market, World Heritage Site by UNESCO, in Ecuador. It is one of the most emblematic and outstanding urban spaces of the Historic Center of that Andean city. The market is a free space for pedestrians and it is surrounded by important buildings, such as the Church of Carmen, where the Divine Traveler Child (Divino Niño Viajero) is venerated, the Convent (cloister) of Carmen and the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. But the real standout attraction in the Plaza is its flowers market, which makes it a charming place. In 2014, the uniqueness of the market placed it in the Top 10 of the most beautiful outdoor flowers markets in the world, denomination granted by the international magazine National Geographic. The offer that can be find here is diverse, but mostly you will find roses, orchids or lilies. There is a dozen of tents that stand out by the explosion of the colors, the variety of flowers and aromas and the kindness of its merchants. Other destinations with which the Flowers Market of Cuenca can be compared are: Marché Aux Fleur (France); the Bloemenmarkt (Netherlands); Campo Dei Fiore (Italy); The Adderley Street Flower Market (South Africa); the Phool Mandi (India); and Pak Khlong Talat (Thailand). The Carmen Church, which is part of the architectural complex of the Monastery of Carmen de la Asunción, next to the Plaza, is one of the majestic religious structures of Cuenca. It has a stone carved facade, which constitutes a magnificent example of Baroque art in the city, and inside it has a renaissance-style wooden structure, in which you can see interesting sculptures. The nuns of the cloister of the Carmen prepare medicinal drinks with flowers that are sold to the population in the stores that are next to the Market.

0.17 Km.