Riobamba

Riobamba sits at 2,750 metres in a basin surrounded by more volcanoes than any other Ecuadorian city, Chimborazo, Carihuairazo, Tungurahua, El Altar and Sangay all within sight on clear mornings, and it is the practical base for climbing and walking among them. The city was destroyed by earthquake in 1797 and moved to its present site, and the centre is a grid of nineteenth-century squares and churches with a good Saturday market that fills several streets. Its railway station is the terminus for the surviving tourist trains of the Ecuadorian Andean railway, whose services have run intermittently in recent years. The Museo de Arte Religioso holds a celebrated colonial gold monstrance.

History

The Puruhá people lived around Riobamba before the Inca advance of the late 15th century and resisted fiercely, and Huayna Capac made an alliance with the confederation of the Kingdom of Quito, marrying the princess Paccha; their son was Atahualpa, the last Inca ruler. After the Spanish conquest, Diego de Almagro founded Riobamba on 15 August 1534 on the San Miguel plains, and it is counted as the first city founded in what is now Ecuador; in 1563 it became part of the new Royal Audience of Quito. An earthquake destroyed the city completely in 1797, and it was rebuilt a few years later 14 km from its first site, near the village of Cajabamba, keeping much colonial architecture. Riobamba declared independence on 11 November 1820, joined Gran Colombia in 1822, and became part of the Republic of Ecuador in 1830 (Wikipedia, Riobamba).

The main sights

• Five volcanoes from one city - Chimborazo to Sangay on clear mornings.
• The Saturday market - streets filling with the surrounding communities.
• The railway station - terminus for the Andean tourist services.
• The religious art museum - colonial silver and the gold monstrance.

When to go

June to September for the clearest volcano views, and Saturday for the market. A day. Train services have been intermittent; check before planning around them.

Practical notes

The Andean railway services have been suspended and partially restored repeatedly; do not assume they run. The city itself is plain and cold. Volcanoes are cloud-covered most afternoons.

Nearby

Chimborazo is north-west; Colta and Guamote lie south.

Key facts