Ibarra

Ibarra is a town in northern Ecuador, capital of the Imbabura province, lying at the foot of the Imbabura volcano and on the left bank of the Tahuando River. It is about 45 miles north east of the capital Quito.

History

Ibarra was founded in 1606 by the Spanish. Many beautiful churches and public buildings were built, but an earthquake in 1868 destroyed many of them. The Inca ruler Atahualpa was born in the Inca settlement of Caranquí about 2km from here.

Modern Day Ibarra

Ibarra is today a market town popular with tourists. It is blessed with fine weather, colonial white-washed houses (giving it the nickname The White City) and cobbled streets. In the Santa Domingo church there is a museum holding paintings.

Market days are on Saturdays, and the main festival is the Fiesta de los Lagos held on the last weekend of September. Also, two colourful parades known as EI Pregón and Virgen del Carmen are held on the 16th July every year.

The town also has many restaurants specialising in local cuisine, along with banks, tourist information places and clubs and discos.

Ibarra has a population of 80,477 (1990).