Ibarra (; full name San Miguel de Ibarra; Quechua: Impapura) is a city in northern

Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ' ...

and the capital of the Imbabura Province. It lies at the foot of the Imbabura Volcano and on the left bank of the Tahuando river. It is about northeast of Ecuador's capital

Quito Quito (; qu, Kitu), formally San Francisco de Quito, is the capital and largest city of Ecuador, with an estimated population of 2.8 million in its urban area. It is also the capital of the province of Pichincha. Quito is located in a valley on ...

History

Ibarra was founded in 1606 by order of the President of the Royal Audience of Quito, Miguel de Ibarra. The development of the city included the systematic construction of public buildings including an important number of

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * Chri ...

es but an earthquake in 1868 destroyed most of them. After the devastating earthquake of August 16, 1868 the city was re-settled in 1872. Based on its newest date of foundation, Ibarra is the youngest city in Ecuador. The

Inca The Inca Empire (also known as the Incan Empire and the Inka Empire), called ''Tawantinsuyu'' by its subjects, ( Quechua for the "Realm of the Four Parts", "four parts together" ) was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. The adm ...

ruler

Atahualpa Atahualpa (), also Atawallpa ( Quechua), Atabalica, Atahuallpa, Atabalipa (c. 1502 – 26-29 July 1533) was the last Inca Emperor. After defeating his brother, Atahualpa became very briefly the last Sapa Inca (sovereign emperor) of the Inca Em ...

is said to have been born in the Inca settlement of

Inca-Caranqui The Inca-Caranqui archaeological site is located in the village of Caranqui on the southern outskirts of the city of Ibarra, Ecuador. The ruin is located in a fertile valley at an elevation of . The region around Caranqui, extending into the pres ...

about 2 km from the city. Helados de paila (handmade

ice cream Ice cream is a sweetened frozen food typically eaten as a snack or dessert. It may be made from milk or cream and is flavoured with a sweetener, either sugar or an alternative, and a spice, such as cocoa or vanilla, or with fruit such as ...

or sorbet and still sold in the markets today) was first made in Ibarra during

n times (but not by Incas; by the native indigenous), using snow or ice from the nearby Imbabura Volcano (which is no longer snow bound). Using a large bronze pan surrounded by ice shavings, the juices of various fruits are stirred into the pan to freeze.

Ibarra today

Today, Ibarra is a mid-sized market city rising in popularity with tourists, yet still retains a very authentic Ecuadorian vibe. It has a unique ethnic composition for Ecuador, with the population being a mix of Mestizos, Amerindians (mostly Otavalo people), and

Afro-Ecuadorians Afro-Ecuadorians or Afroecuatorianos (Spanish), are Ecuadorians of predominantly Sub-Saharan African descent. History and background Most Afro-Ecuadorians are the descendants of enslaved Africans who were transported by Spanish slavers to Ecuado ...

. Ibarra is known for its mild weather, colonial whitewashed houses (giving it the nickname The White City), and cobbled streets.viva travel guides: Ibarra
/ref> The Santo Domingo church houses a museum holding paintings. The town is the seat of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Ibarra The Roman Catholic Diocese of Ibarra ( la, Dioecesis Ibarrensis) is a diocese located in the city of Ibarra in the Ecclesiastical province of Quito in Ecuador. Churches *Basílica de Nuestra Señora de La Merced Bishops Ordinaries *José Ign ...

. Markets are on Saturdays, and the main

festival A festival is an event ordinarily celebrated by a community and centering on some characteristic aspect or aspects of that community and its religion or cultures. It is often marked as a local or national holiday, mela, or eid. A festival c ...

is the ''Fiesta de los Lagos'', which is held on the last weekend of September. Two colorful parades known as ''El Pregón'' and ''Virgen del Carmen'' are held on 16 July every year. Other town attractions are the many restaurants specializing in local

cuisine A cuisine is a style of cooking characterized by distinctive ingredients, techniques and dishes, and usually associated with a specific culture or geographic region. Regional food preparation techniques, customs, and ingredients combine to ...

, along with the clubs, discos and a

paragliding Paragliding is the recreational and competitive adventure sport of flying paragliders: lightweight, free-flying, foot-launched glider aircraft with no rigid primary structure. The pilot sits in a harness or lies supine in a cocoon-like 'p ...

club. Andrea Scacco was elected to be the new mayor of Ibarra in 2019 planning to reduce xenophobia and to create a women's refuge in the city.

Climate

Ibarra features a warm-summer mediterranean climate (''Csb'') under the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, nota ...

. This is possible due to the town's high elevation (7,300 ft) in the Ecuadorian Andes providing cooler temperatures and a seasonal rain-shadow characteristic. The dry/warm season is technically local winter due to the town's location being south of the

Intertropical Convergence Zone The Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ ), known by sailors as the doldrums or the calms because of its monotonous windless weather, is the area where the northeast and the southeast trade winds converge. It encircles Earth near the thermal ...

from June to September. However, since Ibarra is located just north of the equator this season could be classified as a summer. The

highland climate Alpine climate is the typical weather (climate) for elevations above the tree line, where trees fail to grow due to cold. This climate is also referred to as a mountain climate or highland climate. Definition There are multiple definitions of ...

is mild all year round. Sister Cities: * Winchester, Kentucky *

Etawah Etawah also known as Ishtikapuri is a city on the banks of Yamuna River in the state of Western Uttar Pradesh in India. It is the administrative headquarters of Etawah District. Etawah's population of 256,838 (as per 2011 population census) ...

, Uttar Pradesh, India

References

External links

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Benefits Discounts & Promotions in Ibarra
{{Authority control Populated places in Imbabura Province Populated places established in 1606 Provincial capitals in Ecuador 1606 establishments in the Spanish Empire