Baños de Agua Santa (), commonly referred to as Baños, is a city in eastern

Tungurahua Province Tungurahua ( es, Provincia del Tungurahua, literally ''Province of the Tungurahua''; ) is one of the twenty-four provinces of Ecuador. Its capital is Ambato. The province takes its name from the Tungurahua volcano, which is located within the ...

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: ' ...

. Baños is the second most populous city in Tungurahua, after the capital Ambato, and is a major tourist center. Baños is known as the "Gateway to the

Amazon Amazon most often refers to: * Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek mythology * Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin * Amazon River, in South America * Amazon (company), an American multinational technolog ...

," as it is the last city still located in the mountain region before reaching the jungle and other towns that are located in the

Amazon River basin The Amazon basin is the part of South America drained by the Amazon River and its tributaries. The Amazon drainage basin covers an area of about , or about 35.5 percent of the South American continent. It is located in the countries of Bolivi ...

. Baños is located at an elevation of 1,820 metres (5,971 feet) on the northern foothills of the Tungurahua volcano, whose activity has been characterized by frequent powerful ash explosions and lava flows that can be seen from Banos.

Etymology

Baños de Agua Santa (Spanish for'' Baths of Holy Water'') is named after the hot springs located around the city which have a reputation of having healing properties due to the various minerals they contain.

History

The city is also a

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

religious center, as some Catholic believers say that the

Virgin Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother of ...

appeared nearby a

waterfall A waterfall is a point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf. Waterfalls can be formed in several ...

. Due to this belief, a sculpture of the virgin, called ''Virgen de Agua Santa'', was placed in the city's

cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the ''cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denominations ...

. The history of the town has been intimately linked to the highly-active Tungurahua volcano. In October 1999, all 17,000+ residents were forced to evacuate the city for weeks.

Geography

Baños is located on the northern

foothills Foothills or piedmont are geographically defined as gradual increases in elevation at the base of a mountain range, higher hill range or an upland area. They are a transition zone between plains and low relief hills and the adjacent topogr ...

of the Tungurahua volcano. Along with the town

Pillaro Píllaro (pronounced 'PEE-lyah-ro' or 'Pee-zha-ro') is a city in Ecuador, located in the province of Tungurahua. It is the capital of the Píllaro Canton and stands about 19 km northeast of Ambato, the provincial capital. The city is loc ...

, Baños is known as a good starting point for exploring the remote

Llanganates National Park Llanganates National Park ( es, Parque Nacional Llanganates, links=no) is a protected area in Ecuador situated in the Cotopaxi Province, Napo Province, Pastaza Province and Tungurahua Province. Located within the park is Cerro Hermoso ("beautifu ...

and its attractions including Cerro Hermoso. The city itself has a main central park across from the cathedral. Nearby waterfalls include Virgen de Agua Santa, Inés María, Agoyán, El Manto de la Novia, Pailón del Diablo and Machay.

Economy

Baños is a popular tourist destination in EcuadorViva Travel Guides
/ref> due to its natural environment (it is home to more than 60 waterfalls) and its adventure sports.www.banios.com
/ref> Locals and visitors alike undertake

rafting Rafting and whitewater rafting are recreational outdoor activities which use an inflatable raft to navigate a river or other body of water. This is often done on whitewater or different degrees of rough water. Dealing with risk is often a ...

kayaking Kayaking is the use of a kayak for moving over water. It is distinguished from canoeing by the sitting position of the paddler and the number of blades on the paddle. A kayak is a low-to-the-water, canoe-like boat in which the paddler sits faci ...

canyoning Canyoning (canyoneering in the United States, kloofing in South Africa) is a type of mountaineering that involves travelling in canyons using a variety of techniques that may include other outdoor activities such as walking, scrambling, climbin ...

, bridge jumping, hiking, biking and horseback riding. Baños is also known for its production of taffy ( es, melcocha ) made from

cane Cane or caning may refer to: *Walking stick or walking cane, a device used primarily to aid walking * Assistive cane, a walking stick used as a mobility aid for better balance *White cane, a mobility or safety device used by many people who are ...

sugar, and for small shops that sell

parrot Parrots, also known as psittacines (), are birds of the roughly 398 species in 92 genera comprising the order Psittaciformes (), found mostly in tropical and subtropical regions. The order is subdivided into three superfamilies: the Psittacoide ...

sculptures made of

balsa ''Ochroma pyramidale'', commonly known as the balsa tree, is a large, fast-growing tree native to the Americas. It is the sole member of the genus ''Ochroma''. The tree is famous for its wide usage in woodworking, with the name ''balsa'' being ...

wood.

Climate

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 ...

, Baños has a

subtropical highland climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters ...

(Köppen: Cfb or Cwb).

Gallery

File:Thermal baths in Baños.jpg, Thermal baths in Baños File:Baños de Agua Santa street 1, Ecuador (2009).jpg, alt=Riobamba - av Jose Veloz facing SE from Parque Maldonado, Downtown Baños (correction: Riobamba) File:Local residents, Baños de Agua Santa, Ecuador (2009).jpg, Local residents (2009) File:Catedral San Pedro de Riobamba.jpg, alt=This is Riobamba (catedral de san pedro) in Parque Maldonado, Square in Baños (correction: Riobamba) File:Baños de Agua Santa street 2, Ecuador (2009).jpg, Baños de Agua Santa street File:Northside of Baños de Agua Santa Ecuador (2009).jpg, Northside of Baños File:Baños de Agua Santa street 3, Ecuador (2009).jpg, Street in Baños (2009)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Banos Populated places in Tungurahua Province Spa towns in Ecuador