Alausí
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Alausí is a town in the
Chimborazo Chimborazo () is a currently inactive stratovolcano in the Cordillera Occidental range of the Andes. Its last known eruption is believed to have occurred around 550 A.D. Chimborazo's summit is the farthest point on the Earth's surface from t ...
province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''Roman province, provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire ...
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 ...
. The town is particularly well-known across Ecuador for its railway heritage. It was named a ''
Pueblo Mágico In the Southwestern United States, Pueblo (capitalized) refers to the Native tribes of Puebloans having fixed-location communities with permanent buildings which also are called pueblos (lowercased). The Spanish explorers of northern New Spain ...
'' (magical town) by the Ecuadorian Ministry of Tourism (MINTUR) in 2019.


History

During the Spanish conquest of Ecuador, the city was named by
Sebastián de Belalcázar Sebastián de Belalcázar (; 1479/1480 – 1551) was a Spanish conquistador. De Belalcázar, also written as de Benalcázar, is known as the founder of important early colonial cities in the northwestern part of South America; Quito in 1534 and Ca ...
as ''San Pedro de Alausí'', giving the city the name of the saint of the day, coinciding with the founding of the city 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 ...
. Later the founding of the city was legalized by Benálcazar with the name "Alausí". After the creation of the Government of Quito, Alausí formed part of that province as a lesser political and administrative entity. In 1810, when Quito launched its movement for independence, Alausí recognized the new government and named Captain José Antonio Pontón as its voice and member of the Junta. When the first assembly of the free towns took place in 1811, Captain José Antonio Pontón served as Representative for the Province of Alausí, in which capacity he signed the Carta de Estado de Quito in 1812. In recognition of its patriotism, fidelity, and honor of its inhabitants, the Bishop Cuero y Caicedo resolved that the town's political and administrative status be raised to "Villa".


Transport

Alausí is served by bus to many destinations in Ecuador. Alausi's bus station is located three blocks down from the train station, on 5 de Junio along the town’s main street. Buses to and from smaller towns run regularly. There are set schedules for more popular destinations, such as Quito, Cuenca and Guayaquil. It is also the starting-off point for the Nariz del Diablo train. This engineering work is among the most audacious projects realized in the Andean mountain range. Nariz del Diablo was the tomb of many Jamaican slaves contracted to dynamite the mountain. Tourists visiting the Ingapirca ruins in Cañar can board a bus heading for Cuenca. The ruins are about an hour and a half outside of Cañar.


Cityscape

Alausí is known for its architecture, and most of its houses are more than 100 years old. In Alausí, one finds various monuments located in the parks and important places in the city. Without doubt the most important is the Monument to Saint Peter (Monumento a San Pedro), the patron saint of the city, built by the Ecuadorian artist Eddie Crespo. This monument is located in Loma de Lluglli, and can be seen from any point in the city due to its large size and strategic location. The most important church in the city is "la Matriz", located in front of 13 November park (parque 13 de Noviembre). The church was constructed in the 18th Century with stone extracted from the mines of Chiripungo, located about 2 kilometers outside of the city.


Festivals

Carnaval is the traditional festival of Alausí, and is celebrated with a special parade, in which the neighborhoods of the city and special invitees participate. The most important festival is the running of the bulls. Non-professional bullfighting and other festivals are also celebrated here. A testament to the Spanish influence in South America, the Festival of San Pedro is celebrated from June 22 to July 2, and has been celebrated since the colonial era. Traditional dance, music, folklore,
cockfights A cockfight is a blood sport, held in a ring called a cockpit. The history of raising fowl for fighting goes back 6,000 years. The first documented use of the ''word'' gamecock, denoting use of the cock as to a " game", a sport, pastime or ent ...
, bullfights and other activities attract Ecuadorians and international tourists to the celebration.


See also

*
Empresa de Ferrocarriles Ecuatorianos The Ferrocarriles del Ecuador Empresa Pública (Ecuadorian Railways Company) is the national railway of Ecuador. The railway system was devised to connect the Pacific coast with the Andean highlands. After many decades of service the railway was se ...
*
Pueblos Mágicos (Ecuador) The ''Programa Pueblos Mágicos'' (Spanish: weβloˈmaxiko(listen); "Magical Towns Programme") is an initiative led by Ecuador's Ministry of Tourism (MINTUR). The program seeks to promote tourism in a network of small and mid-sized towns that r ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alausi Populated places in Chimborazo Province