The First Church
This church was founded by the Spanish on August 15th, 1534, so
it is a true relic. The building started as a simple hut made of
adobe and straws. It was rebuilt after being destroyed by the 1797
earthquake. The church is no more than 10 meters wide and keeps the
original construction: the altar, the atrium, and the font are made
of stone.
A Little History about the Foundation of Quito and
Guayaquil
Quito and Guayaquil are the two biggest cities of Ecuador, and
the history of Balbanera is direcly related to the foundation of
both cities.
In 1533, after the death of Atahualpa, the last Inca sovereign,
the Spaniards started the conquest of his territories. One year
after, and knowing that Pedro de Alvarado had just disembarked on
the Ecuadorean coast in order to reclaim the territories for
himself, a group of Spaniards commanded by Diego de Almagro quickly
arrived in the shore of the Colta Lagoon where joined Sebastián de
Benalcázar. Once here, Almagro and Benalcázar following orders of
Francisco Pizarro founded the city of "Santiago de Quito" on August
15h, 1534 making this the date on which the first Spanish city was
founded in Ecuador.
Santiago de Quito was given his name as a tribute to Santiago el
Mayor (aka James, son of Zebedee in English). The "hurried"
foundation of Santiago de Quito was made stating that "this city
would move with the same name to a more suitable place in which the
definitive city would be raised."
On August 28th, 1534, in this same place, Almagro declared
"remotely" the foundation of the "San Francisco de Quito" village
over the ruins of the former indigenous capital. The "true"
foundation of Quito was declared by Benalcázar on December 6th of
the same year. Now the official name of the city is Distrito
Metropolitano de Quito
Before founding Quito, Benalcázar moved the city of Santiago de
Quito near the shore of the Babahoyo river on September, 1534. The
settlement was made over the land where the chief Guayaquile once
governed. Then the city was given the new name of "Santiago de
Guayaquil". Guayaquil was not definitively settled until 1547.
Today Santiago de Quito still survives as a small village
located near the Colta Lagoon.
Kulta Kucha
Just crossing the Panamerican highway, and 100 meters away lies
the Colta Lagoon or "Kulta Kucha" (Quichua), which means "Duck
Lagoon". Locals says that The Chimborazo volcano can be shown
reflected on the water on crystal clear days.
Although the lagoon is reducing its area little by little, it is
known that in ancient times people visited the Balbanera church to
pray fervently so that the lagoon cannot flood and destroy its
crops. The virgin "María Natividad de Balbanera" is still venerated
here.
Currently there is a beautiful park built by the local
municipality which is also worth to visit. Additionaly, you can
rent a floating boat and enjoy rowing on the quiet water.
Is it time for finding the cache?
First, let me say that this cache is an unofficial "nano", so go
and find the "zero ground". Once here you will not spend too much
time figuring out where the cache might be. Don't forget to bring
your own pen.
IMPORTANT: there is only space for your initials, so comments
are welcome either in your online logs or in my other nearby
caches.
Please don't let the muggles see you. Be respectful with the
plants that might be at foot level. Seal and rehide the cache
thoroughly.
Have fun with this pretty nanocache!
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