Pomasqui Valley is a valley on the northern outskirts of

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 o ...

, Ecuador. It is located on the

equator The equator is a circle of latitude, about in circumference, that divides Earth into the Northern and Southern hemispheres. It is an imaginary line located at 0 degrees latitude, halfway between the North and South poles. The term can als ...

, the so-called "Mitad del Mundo" ("Middle of the World"), at an altitude of around above sea level. Hot and semi-arid, it is formed by a river tributary. The valley contains the Cerro de Catequilla, which contains the pre-Columbian astronomical observatory,

Catequilla Monte Catequilla (also Kati-Killa) is an archaeological site in the Pomasqui Valley of Ecuador. Located in the Parish of San Antonio of Quito Canton in Pichincha Province, it has an elevation of and is located on a mountaintop about above ...

. The village of

Pomasqui Pomasqui is a village in Quito Canton, Ecuador. Located north of Quito, and from the equator, it is on the road to Ciudad Mitad del Mundo. The village's main plaza, Plaza Yerovi, features two churches, the Church of El Senor del Arbol ("the Lord ...

itself lies roughly from the equator. The

Monjas River Monjas River ("Rio Monjas"; translation: Nun River) is located in Pichincha Province, Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which ...

flows nearby and the valley is an important centre for viniculture in Ecuador, with vineyards. The economy features vegetable and fruit production. To the northwest is the Pululahua Geobotanical Reserve.

History

The valley played an important role in military conflict as the Spanish army under Benalcazar invaded in 1534.

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 Empir ...

leaders such as Rumiñahui and Quizquiz led organized attacks against the invading Spanish, and some 4000 locals were slaughtered by them here for giving in to the invaders.

History

References

Further reading