461 Years of Castilian Cuenca

Cuenca was originally a settlement for the Cañari people, an indigenous Andean culture that still exists (remarkably) to this day. Their ancestors actually predate Incans, so we're talking 6th century or 1,500 years ago, if that helps.

Traditional Cañari dress

They are a strong proud people and managed to survive the Incan invasion and one of the leaders Huayna Capac, actually rose in the ranks of the Incan warriors to become the head of the stronghold which eventually became Cuenca (really: Santa Ana de los Cuatro Rios de Cuenca. Translated to Saint Ann of the Four Rivers of Cuenca. It's just a little too much to say/write all the time, so it got shortened to Cuenca. It was named by Gil Ramirez Dávalos after his beloved city in Spain.)

Despite Cañari success with the mighty Incans, they couldn't find the same success with the Conquistadors from Spain. (Very few cultures truly survived that decimation, to be sure.) Despite this history, Cuenca has gussied itself up and is celebrating the 461 anniversary of the founding of the Spanish version of the city.

It's not a party without a sugar load

I've found their European ties to be a sort of love/hate relationship. There is enough pride in being tied to Spain that they're having a celebration (let's be honest, any excuse for a party) and also enough bad blood that many people here don't speak "español", but "castellano". It must be noted that the bigger celebration on the November 3rd weekend is in celebration of ridding themselves of the Spanish crown/government.

Crafts of all types are available

Miraculously, parts of the pre-Columbian culture remain, through oral histories, artifacts and in the faces of the people that live, work and inhabit this part of the world. How they managed to keep their spirit, their art and language through such adversity is a mystery to me. It might have something to do with their day to day stoicism or joyful abandon when it comes to celebrating.

Official Crest of Cuenca provided:

By Municipalidad de Cuenca

So, here's to you, Santa Ana de los Cuatro Rios de Cuenca, and all you've seen, experienced and survived and to what you've become today!
(The translation is basically "First God and after, you.")

On a sad note, the celebrations were cut short to honour two Ecuadorian Journalists (Javier Ortega and Paul Rivas) and their driver (Efrain Segarra). All of whom were murdered by a Columbian drug cartel, in their attempt to break an agreement between the Columbian and Ecuadorian governments to fight drug crime. President Moreno has declared a four day mourning period. May their families find peace.