Latacunga (;

Quechua Quechua may refer to: *Quechua people, several indigenous ethnic groups in South America, especially in Peru *Quechuan languages, a Native South American language family spoken primarily in the Andes, derived from a common ancestral language **So ...

: Latakunga) is a

plateau In geology and physical geography, a plateau (; ; ), also called a high plain or a tableland, is an area of a highland consisting of flat terrain that is raised sharply above the surrounding area on at least one side. Often one or more sides ...

town 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: ' ...

, capital of the

Cotopaxi Province Cotopaxi () is one of the provinces of Ecuador. The capital is Latacunga. The province contains the Cotopaxi Volcano, an intermittent volcano with a height of . Cantons The province is divided into 7 cantons. The following table lists each ca ...

, south 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 on ...

, near the confluence of the Alaquez and Cutuchi rivers to form the Patate, the headstream of the Pastaza. At the time of census 2010 Latacunga had 98,355 inhabitants, largely

mestizo (; ; fem. ) is a term used for racial classification to refer to a person of mixed European and Indigenous American ancestry. In certain regions such as Latin America, it may also refer to people who are culturally European even though thei ...

and indigenous. Latacunga took its independence from Spain on November 11, 1820. Latacunga is an hour and half south from Quito on the Pan-American Highway. It was previously also on the old road from Quito to

Guayaquil , motto = Por Guayaquil Independiente en, For Independent Guayaquil , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Ecuador#South America , pushpin_re ...

, and has a

railway Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a p ...

station between those cities. It is 9, 383. 2 ft (2,860 m). above

sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical datuma standardis ...

. Its climate is cold and windy, due to the neighboring snowclad heights, and the barren,

pumice Pumice (), called pumicite in its powdered or dust form, is a volcanic rock that consists of highly vesicular rough-textured volcanic glass, which may or may not contain crystals. It is typically light-colored. Scoria is another vesicular v ...

-covered

tableland A table or tableland is a butte, flank of a mountain, or mountain, that has a flat top. This kind of landform has numerous names, including: * Butte * Mesa * * Potrero * Tepui * Terrace * Tuya A tuya is a flat-topped, steep-sided vo ...

on which it stands. The active

volcano A volcano is a rupture in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface. On Earth, volcanoes are most often found where tectonic plates ...

Cotopaxi Cotopaxi () is an active stratovolcano in the Andes Mountains, located in Latacunga city of Cotopaxi Province, about south of Quito, and northeast of the city of Latacunga, Ecuador. It is the second highest summit in Ecuador, reaching a h ...

is only 25 km. away, and the town has suffered repeatedly from eruptions. Founded in 1534, it was four times destroyed by

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, fr ...

s between 1698 and 1798. The neighboring ruins of an older native town are said to date from the

Incas The Inca Empire (also known as the Incan Empire and the Inka Empire), called ''Tawantinsuyu'' by its subjects, ( Quechua for the "Realm of the Four Parts", "four parts together" ) was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. The adm ...

Empire. Latacunga's most noted food is chugchucaras, empanadas,

plantains Plantain may refer to: Plants and fruits * Cooking banana, banana cultivars in the genus ''Musa'' whose fruits are generally used in cooking ** True plantains, a group of cultivars of the genus ''Musa'' * ''Plantaginaceae'', a family of floweri ...

popcorn Popcorn (also called popped corn, popcorns or pop-corn) is a variety of corn kernel which expands and puffs up when heated; the same names also refer to the foodstuff produced by the expansion. A popcorn kernel's strong hull contains the se ...

, and tostado (a type of toasted corn). Often, food is mixed with ají, a type of condiment that can be mild to very spicy depending on its preparation. The Latacunga economy is dependent on agriculture, floriculture and commerce. It has an international airport, the Cotopaxi International Airport, that is not used for international passenger use, but as an Air Force base and some special commercial flights. The local volcanic activity has led to the accumulation of pumice deposits which are currently mined, as well as the presence of natural sparkling water, which is bottled under the brand name San Felipe. The airplane scene in the film

Maria Full of Grace ''Maria Full of Grace'' ( Spanish title: ''María, llena eres de gracia'', lit., " Maria, you are full of grace") is a 2004 drama film written and directed by Joshua Marston. The film was produced between Colombia and the United States. The story ...

was filmed out of the Latacunga airport using local extras. The landscape seen from the plane is the area surrounding Latacunga.

Traditional festivals

'' La Fiesta de la Mama Negra'' is a well-known traditional festival in Latacunga. It takes place twice a year, and originates from a mixture of indigenous, Spanish and African influences. The first one was organized in September by the people from the markets "La Merced y Del Salto" in honor of the Virgin of Mercy, ''Virgen de la Merced''. The Virgin is venerated because she allegedly stopped the Cotopaxi Volcano eruption in 1742. Inhabitants of Latacunga call her ''Abogada y patrona del volcan'', meaning "advocate and patron of the volcano". The second celebration is a party which Latacunga's inhabitants celebrate every year on Ecuador's

Independence Day An independence day is an annual event commemorating the anniversary of a nation's independence or statehood, usually after ceasing to be a group or part of another nation or state, or more rarely after the end of a military occupation. Many ...

. It is a parade with the participation of well-known people, the army, clergy and others. Both of these fiestas include a lengthy parade of various cultural characters, all dressed-up in various colors. The 'mama negra' is the last person to pass through, which is the culmination of each parade. It is a person with their face painted in black, riding a horse, and spraying the crowd with milk. Homemade strong alcoholic drinks are freely passed between one another along the parade route, which can be quite chaotic, closing the road at times and making the route impassable.

Historic downtown

Latacunga's historic downtown extends about 30 squares. Prominent buildings to visit are: *Saint Francis's church, the first church built in the city. *The municipal palace; it was built with pumice stone in a neoclassical style. *The Main Square in which stands a statue of Dr. Vicente Leon.

Climate

Latacunga features an

Oceanic 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 ...

(Cfb) under

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 ...

Universities

*Cotopaxi Technical University. *ESPE University of the Military Forces.

Sports

Club Deportivo Universidad Tecnica de Cotopaxi, is a soccer team of Latacunga City. Sociedad Deportiva Flamengo is the city's

football (soccer) Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

club. They play their home games at

Estadio La Cocha Estadio Municipal La Cocha is a multi-use stadium in Latacunga Latacunga (; Quechua: Latakunga) is a plateau town of Ecuador, capital of the Cotopaxi Province, south of Quito, near the confluence of the Alaquez and Cutuchi rivers to form th ...

Transport

Cotopaxi International Airport

References

External links

www.codeso.com Map of the Cotopaxi Province

Latacunga Travel Info
{{Authority control Populated places in Cotopaxi Province Populated places established in 1534 Provincial capitals in Ecuador 1534 establishments in the Spanish Empire