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This area covers Cuenca’s historic center and its shifts from pre-Hispanic settlement to colonial town planning, as Spanish officials consolidated power through churches, convents, and a grid around the main plaza.
In the late colonial period and into the 19th century, municipal government and republican civic rituals concentrated at what became Parque Abdón Calderón, setting a pattern of political and commercial life. By the late 19th and early 20th centuries, expanding schools, courts, and hospitals formalized public services and drew professional classes into the center. By the mid-20th century, state-led public works and sports infrastructure reshaped circulation and recreation, while riverfront adjustments linked neighborhoods to larger urban plans. Later decades saw museums and cultural institutes consolidate research and exhibition roles, with the University of Cuenca anchoring training and preservation efforts that connected archaeology, crafts, and urban management.
At Parque Arqueológico Pumapungo, after the 16th-century Spanish conquest, Inca structures were dismantled and their stones reused to build Cuenca, displacing an earlier Inca and Cañari center. This action left only remnants on site and redirected the area’s function to colonial city-making.
At the Catedral de la Inmaculada Concepción, construction assessments found the foundations could not support the tall bell towers planned by Friar Juan Bautista Stiehle, who began the design in 1885. Builders reduced the towers’ height and delayed completion, permanently altering the cathedral’s profile.
At the Museo Remigio Crespo Toral, the poet’s widow donated the family’s books, furniture, and documents, creating the city’s first public museum and archive. The holdings include the city council’s earliest books and Cuenca’s 1820 declaration of independence, making these records accessible for research.
At Puente Roto in 1950, a Tomebamba River flood washed away nearly half the 19th-century bridge, and the city abandoned full reconstruction. Engineers stabilized the remaining span, and residents later used the site as a public gathering space instead of a river crossing.
El Sagrario Catedral Vieja
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Storydex uses AI to create historical stories based on multiple sources, with citations for further exploration. While we strive for accuracy, please verify important details. We're always improving, so if you spot an error or have feedback, let us know!
