Piñas is a canton in the

El Oro Province El Oro (; ''oro'' = gold) is the southernmost of Ecuador's coastal provinces. It was named for its historically important gold production. Today it is one of the world's major exporters of bananas. The capital is Machala. History The area was s ...

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: ' ...

. Its seat is Piñas. It is also known as the "Orchid of The Andes" because of the many

orchid Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Along with the Asteraceae, they are one of the two largest families of flowerin ...

s grown nearby. The town was named Piñas by Juan de Loayza, in honor of his homeland Piñas in

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

. It is located above sea level. The canton was created on November 8, 1940. It is bordered to the north by Atahualpa, to the south by Loja, to the east by Portovelo and

Zaruma Zaruma, officially Villa Real de San Antonio del Cerro de Oro de Zaruma is a town in the south of Ecuador, El Oro Province. It is located in the south-east of this province, at an altitude of 1200 metres above sea level, on an inter-Andes route ...

and to the west by Balsas and Marcabelí. Economic activity includes agriculture such as

cattle Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, cloven-hooved, herbivores. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus ''Bos''. Adult females are referred to as cows and adult ma ...

raising and cocoa and

sugar cane Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of (often hybrid) tall, perennial grass (in the genus '' Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with stout, jointed, fibrous stalk ...

growing.

Parishes

The canton has 10 parishes (6 rural and 4 urban) totalling approximately 40,000 inhabitants. *Urban parishes: **Piñas (administrative centre) **La Susaya **Piñas grande **San Jacinto **Pata grande *Rural parishes: **Piedras **Saracay **Capiro **La bocana **San Roque **Moro Moro

Demographics

Ethnic groups as of the Ecuadorian census of 2010: * Mestizo 86.6% *

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...

6.6% *Montubio 4.3% * Afro-Ecuadorian 2.2% *

Indigenous Indigenous may refer to: *Indigenous peoples *Indigenous (ecology), presence in a region as the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention *Indigenous (band), an American blues-rock band *Indigenous (horse), a Hong Kong racehorse ...

0.1% *Other 0.1%

Tourism

*The "Orquideario" is an orchid garden located in the town and managed by the Fundación Piñas Oasis Ecologico.
Buenaventura Forest
located on the road to the coast a few minutes away fro
Piñas
is a private nature reserve whose attractions include 30 species of hummingbird and the rare El Oro parakeet and

Ecuadorian tapaculo The Ecuadorian tapaculo or El Oro tapaculo (''Scytalopus robbinsi'') is a small passerine bird belonging to the genus ''Scytalopus'', a genus of tapaculos. It is restricted to a small area in south-western Ecuador and was not described until 19 ...

. It is administered by the Fundación Jocotoco and its infrastructure includes paths and interpretation stations for visitors. *The Patagrande Mirador is a center of Catholic Christian adoration. Processions take place here during

Holy Week Holy Week ( la, Hebdomada Sancta or , ; grc, Ἁγία καὶ Μεγάλη Ἑβδομάς, translit=Hagia kai Megale Hebdomas, lit=Holy and Great Week) is the most sacred week in the liturgical year in Christianity. In Eastern Churches, w ...

and on May 3 ( Finding of the Holy Cross). *Other attractions include the tourist complex at Tarapal and crafts at Piedra Blanca and Palo Solo, La Cabaña del Café ubicada en Mirmir sector Lozumbe Parroquia San Roque.

Cuisine

Typical dishes of the area include "repe" (a creamy green banana soup) and "biscochuelo", among others

References

External links

VisitaElOro.com Tourism, Travel, History, Picture Gallery of Piñas "Orquidea de los Andes" in El Oro, Ecuador and "Parte Alta"

:: El Porta de los Piñasienses :: - Portal convivial, informativo e interactivo de su gente

Rincon de la parte alta

radio impacto

radio lluvia

www.ciudadorquidea.com Portal Turistico,informativo y comercial de Piñas

Radio elite Piñas

Canton Cantons of El Oro Province