Pelileo (full form, San Pedro de Pelileo) is a city located at the center of the Andean region of

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: ''Eku ...

called ''La Sierra'' ("the highlands"). It is the seat of Pelileo

Canton Canton may refer to: Administrative division terminology * Canton (administrative division), territorial/administrative division in some countries, notably Switzerland * Township (Canada), known as ''canton'' in Canadian French Arts and ent ...

(48,988 inhabitants, 2001 Census), and forms part of Tungurahua Province. Pelileo is the second largest city in Tungurahua Province behind neighboring Ambato and is famous for the production and sale of

blue jeans Jeans are a type of pants or trousers made from denim or dungaree cloth. Often the term "jeans" refers to a particular style of trousers, called "blue jeans", with copper-riveted pockets which were invented by Jacob W. Davis in 1871 and paten ...

. Many travelers pass through Pelileo on their way from Ambato to Baños.

History

Pelileo was founded by Antonio Clavijo in 1570 and was elevated to the status of county on July 22, 1860. On August 5, 1949, Pelileo was totally destroyed by an

earthquake An earthquake (also known as a quake, tremor or temblor) is the shaking of the surface of the Earth resulting from a sudden release of energy in the Earth's lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, from ...

. Some 5,000 people died within the limits of the county. The only remaining structure still visible from the old city is a broken stone pillar, once part of Pelileo's magnificent main church. A new city was rebuilt in a nearby location. Currently it is therefore possible to visit both the Great Pelileo (''Pelileo Grande''), and the New Pelileo (''Pelileo Nuevo'').

Economy

Pelileo is also known as the Blue City, because of its booming jean industry, mainly located in the El Tambo parish. Another of the parishes of Pelileo is the world-famous

Salasaca Salasaca is a community and an indigenous people located in the Tungurahua Province in the center of Ecuador, halfway along the road from Ambato to Baños. The Salasaca speak Spanish and their traditional language of Quichua. Their main econom ...

, home to a Native American tribe originally from

Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center , flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...

that came to the Ecuadorian Andes as ''mitimaes''. The Huambalo parish is well known as the home of artisans of fine furniture. Pelileo is also known for the distillation of a local liquor called ''

aguardiente (Spanish), or (Portuguese) ( eu, pattar; ca, aiguardent; gl, augardente), is a generic term for alcoholic beverages that contain between 29% and 60% alcohol by volume (ABV). It originates in the Iberian Peninsula (Portugal and Spain) and in I ...

''. A hard, clear sugarcane-based alcohol, it is one of Pelileo's main products outside of

. The main market days in Pelileo are Saturday and Tuesday.

Current events

On the morning of August 16, 2006, the

Tungurahua Tungurahua (; from Quichua ''tunguri'' (throat) and ''rahua'' (fire), "Throat of Fire")) is an active stratovolcano located in the Cordillera Oriental of Ecuador. The volcano gives its name to the province of Tungurahua. Volcanic activity resta ...

volcano exploded, in what appears to be the main event of an eruptive process that started in 1999. On August 17, the whole of Pelileo woke up covered with rocks and ashes. In all the parishes of the county it is reported that crops have been lost and farm animals are in danger.

External links

Municipality of Pelileo website
Populated places in Tungurahua Province 1570 establishments in the Spanish Empire {{Ecuador-geo-stub