Baños de Agua Santa

Baños de Agua Santa
Baños from the east.

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Nickname(s): Baños
Baños de Agua Santa
Coordinates: 1°23′47″S 78°25′29″W / 1.39639°S 78.42472°W / -1.39639; -78.42472Coordinates: 1°23′47″S 78°25′29″W / 1.39639°S 78.42472°W / -1.39639; -78.42472
Country Ecuador
Province Tungurahua
Canton Baños
Government
 • Type Mayor and council
 • Mayor Marlon Fabricio Guevara Silva
Elevation 1,820 m (5,971 ft)
Population (2010)
 • Total 14,653[1]
 • Demonym Baneño(-a)
Time zone UTC-5 (ECT)
Area code(s) (0)3
Climate Cfb
Website www.municipiobanos.gob.ec

Baños de Agua Santa (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈbaɲoz ðe ˈaɣwa ˈsanta]), commonly referred to as Baños, is a city in eastern Tungurahua Province, in central Ecuador. Baños is the second most populous city in Tungurahua, after Ambato, the capital, and is a major tourist center. It is known as the "Gateway to the Amazon", as it's the last big city still located in the mountains before reaching the jungle and other towns that are located in the Amazon River basin.

Baños is located on the northern foothills of the Tungurahua volcano, at an elevation of 5,023 metres (16,480 feet) whose activity has been characterized by frequent powerful ash explosions and lava flows can be seen from Banos.[2] and is being monitored by the Geophysics Institute at E.P.N.

Etymology

Court of La Iglesia de la Virgen de Agua Santa in Baños

Baños de Agua Santa (Spanish for Baths of Holy Water[3]), is named after the hot springs located around the city which have a reputation of having healing properties due to their content of various minerals.

History

The city is also a Roman Catholic religious center, as some Catholic believers say that the Virgin Mary appeared nearby a waterfall. So a sculpture of the virgin, called Virgen de Agua Santa, was placed in the cathedral. The history of the town is intimately linked with the highly active Tungurahua volcano. In October 1999, all 17,000+ residents were forced to evacuate the city for weeks.[4]

Geography

Baños is located on the northern foothills of the Tungurahua volcano.

Along with Pillaro, Baños is known as a good starting point for exploring the remote Llanganates National Park 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 Ecuador[5] due to its natural environment (it is home to more than 60 waterfalls) and its adventure sports.[6] Locals and visitors alike undertake rafting, kayaking, canyoning, bridge jumping, hiking, biking and horseback riding.[6]

Baños is also known for its production of taffy (Spanish: melcocha [melˈkotʃa]) made from cane sugar, and for small shops that sell the town's famous wooden parrots made of balsa tree.

References

  1. ↑ Ecuadorian National Institute of Statistics and Census
  2. ↑ Tungurahua on volcanodiscovery.com
  3. ↑ Baños at pachamama.org
  4. ↑ (in Spanish) Article on hoy.com.ec Archived April 9, 2009, at the Wayback Machine.
  5. ↑ Viva Travel Guides
  6. 1 2 www.banios.com
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