MUSEUM OF THE ORDER OF “LAS CONCEPTAS”
Dirección: Hermano Miguel and Presidente Cordova
Phone: 2830625
Horario: Monday to Friday: 09h00 to 18h30 Saturdays and holidays: 10h00 to 13h00
Costo: Foreigners and nationals $3.50; university students, high school students and senior citizens $2.50, primary school students $1.50.
The museum was installed in what had been the infirmary of the cloistered convent of the “Conceptas” order of nuns, which was built between 1682 and 1729. In the exhibit halls one can see the daily life of the nuns as well as pieces of religious art and utilitarian objects of the period.
Página Web: www.museodelasconceptas.org.ec
Email: concepcu@hotmail.com
MUSEUM OF MODERN ART
Phone: 2831027
Horario: Monday to Friday: 09h00 to 17h30, Saturdays and sunday: 09h00 to 13h00
Costo: Free
The Municipal Museum of Modern Art is located in the old Temperance House, which was restored between 1976 and 1981. Here one can visit temporary exhibitions of modern and contemporary art, and see works that are permanently on display, which are part of the museum’s assets. There is also a specialized art library.
Email: martemoderno@cuenca.gob.ec
THE “OLD CATHEDRAL” RELIGIOUS ART MUSEUM
Phone: 2834636
Horario: Monday to friday: 09h00 to 17h30, saturday and sunday: 09h00 to 14h00
Costo: Nationals $1.00, foreigners $2.00, foreign third age $1.00, children $0.50.
The Old Cathedral has great historic value because its tower was the reference point for the French Geodesic Mission that carried out measurements of the terrestrial meridian.
The cities first organ, which has been preserved to this day, is found in this church. The interior has an impressive mural.
MUSEUM OF SKELETOLOGY
Phone: 4199946
Horario: Monday to friday: 10h00 to 13h00 and 16h00 to 19h00, saturday: 10h00 to 13h00 and 14h30 to 18h30
Costo: Adults $2.00, senior citizens $2.50, children $1.50
The collection houses the bones of more than 120 species of native animals, including fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and native mammals. The exhibition of skeletons is highlighted by dioramas and recreations of the physical environment in which the species developed.
Email: www.esqueletologia.tk
MUSEUM OF CAÑARI IDENTITY
Phone: 2825384
Horario: Monday to Friday: 09h00 to 13h00 and 15h00 to 18h00, Saturday: 09h30 to 13h00
Costo: Adults $2.00, senior citizens free, children $1.00
The collection contains archaeological pieces of pre-colombian origin of the Cañari culture from the Narrio period to the arrival of the Incas. In addition there is an art collection comprised of colonial paintings and sculptures of the 18th and 19th centuries, genre paintings from Cuenca, and ethnographic pieces.
Email: gynafreire@hotmail.com
ABORIGINAL CULTURES MUSEUM
Phone: 2839181/2841540
Horario: lunes a viernes de 08h30 a 18h00; sábado de 09h00 a 14h00.
Costo: adultos extranjeros $4.00, estudiantes extranjeros $2.00, estudiantes nacionales $1.50, adultos nacionales $3.00, niños $1.00.
El museo cuenta con unas 5.000 piezas en exhibición al público, que corresponden a todos los períodos de la historia aborigen del Ecuador, constituyéndose así en el Museo Arqueológico más completo de la ciudad de Cuenca y de la región.
Página Web: www.museoculturasaborigenes.com
Email: museoculturasaborigenes@hotmail.com
MUSÉE DU CIDAP (CENTRE INTÉRAMÉRICAIN DES ARTS ET DE L´ARTISANAT POPULAIRE)
Phone: 2829451
Horario: Du lundi au vendredi de 08h00 à 17h00
Costo: Entrée libre
On y trouve une collection unique d´art populaire américain, une boutique d´artisanat et un centre de documentation.
Página Web: www.cidap.gob.ec
Email: cidap@cidap.gob.ec
BENIGNO MALO NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL MUSEUM
Phone: 2827057
Horario: Monday to Friday: 09h00 to 12h00 and 14h00 to 18h00
Costo: Free
The museum installation forms part of one of the most emblematic buildings of the city. The museum collections are in two sections: Natural Sciences and Archaeology, each with its own exhibition area.
Página Web: www.colegiobenignomalo.edu.ec
Email: colegio-benigno-malo@hotmail.com
EL BARRANCO TOQUILLA STRAW HAT MUSEUM
Phone: 2831569
Horario: Monday to friday: 08h30 to 18h30, Saturday: 09h30 to 17h00, Sunday: 09h30 to 13h30
Costo: Free
A hat-mending workshop has been recreated in this space, in which the tools used for transforming toquilla straw are on display. In addition, one can see the hat production process in the hat factory.
Página Web: www.barrancospanamahats.com
Email: panamahats@etapanet.net
MANUEL AGUSTIN LANDIVAR MUSEUM
Phone: 2821177
Horario: Monday to friday: 08h00 to 16h30
Costo: Free
This is a site museum located in the Todos Santos sector, a place where archaeological ruins coexist from different historical periods: the Cañari and Incan culture, and stone wheels from a grist mill constructed by the Spaniards. One can find pieces in the museum that give testimony to the three cultures.
HOUSE OF THE HAT MUNICIPAL MUSEUM
Horario: Monday to Friday: 09h00 to 17h30, Saturdays and sundays: 10h00 to 13h00
Costo: Free
It functions in an old and emblematic mansion restored by the Municipality of Cuenca to turn it into a new setting for the promotion of culture in Cuenca. As visitors tour its four rooms, they can appreciate the art of toquilla straw hat weaving through videos, photographic representations, objects and materials used through time in this craft work, which as been performed since the pre-colombian era.
REMIGIO CRESPO TORAL MUNICIPAL MUSEUM
Phone: 2833208
Horario: Monday to Friday: 09h00 to 17h30, Saturdays and sundays: 09h00 to 13h00
Costo: Free
This museum houses the Municipal Archive of History of the city of Cuenca with all the treaties, agreements, letters, etc., around which the city was built. In addition, the locale of the museum is one of the city’s heritage houses, located on the River Bluff.
Página Web: www.cuenca.gob.ec
HISTORY OF MEDICINE SOCIETY MUSEUM
Phone: 2835859
Horario: Monday to Friday: 08h00 to 13h00 and 14h00 to 17h00
Costo: Foreigners and nationals $1.50, chldren and students $0.50
In the place where the School of Medicine of the University of Cuenca and the old city hospital functioned, there is a permanent exhibition about the advance of medicine in the city. The richness of the building gives a unique ambience to this museum, which is located beside the Military Hospital.
Email: arysa67@yahoo.com
MUSÉE ET PARC ARCHÉOLOGIQUE PUMAPUNGO
Phone: 2831521
Horario: Du mardi au vendredi de 08h00 à 17h30 ; samedis, dimanches et fêtes 10h00 à 16h00
Costo: Entrée libre
Situé à côté du Pumapungo, complexe archéologique de ruines incas le plus important de la ville, ce musée possède des salles d´archéologie, d´art religieux du XIXème siècle, d´ethnographie et de numismatique.
Página Web: www.museopumapungo.org
HOMERO ORTEGA “MAGIC OF THE HAT” MUSEUM
Phone: 2809000
Horario: Monday to Friday: 09h00 to 12h30 and 14h00 to 16h00, Saturdays: 08h30 to 12h30
Costo: Free
The Homero Ortega export company museum pays homage to the women and men, who with their skillful hands and natural sensitivity, weave the future of the region.
Email: www.homeroortega.com
CARMEN OF THE ASSUMPTION CHURCH
Dirección: Sucre and Padre Aguirre
Phone: 2823 450
Horario: Monday to Saturday at 06:45, 08:00, 11:00. Sundays 06:45, 08:00, 11:00, 17:00
Responsable: Prioress Mother Leonor Maria of the Holy Spirit
This convent belongs to the order of the Discalced (Barefoot) Carmelites of Our Lady of the Assumption. It was built in stages beginning at the end of the 17th century. One enters from the Plaza of the Flowers. It is a single-naved church oriented on a north-south axis, with a choir loft at the end and adobe walls. The façade is of carved stone and is an example of
Baroque art. It has Solomonic columns supported by a base of the same stone material. In the interior there is a pulpit of carved wood in the form of a chalice, which is covered with gold leaf and decorated with mirrors and its tableau.
HEART OF JESUS CHURCH
Dirección: Gran Colombia and Abraham Sarmiento
Phone: 2841 493 / 2847 233
Horario: Tuesday to friday: 07h00, Sunday 07h00 and 18:00, Sunday: 07h00, 17:00 and 19h00
Responsable: Padre José Bolívar Piedra Aguirre
The area where the church is located was formerly the western border of the city, where one embarked on the horse trail to the coastal region of the country. The name Heart of Jesus came from the convent of the nuns of the Sacred Heart that existed on the same site. This building is a very good example of the popular architecture of our region, which has been maintained, thanks to the religious sentiment of the people of Cuenca.
ÉGLISE DES CONCEPTAS
Dirección: Antonio Borrero y Presidente Córdova
Phone: 2823 002
Horario: Misa. Lunes a Sábado 7:30 am, Domingos 08:00, 10:00 am
Responsable: Madre Abarezo Leonor del Rosario
Appelée « Conceptas » par les religieuses du couvent de la Inmaculada Concepción, elle fut construite au début du XVIIIème siècle et se caractérise par sa façade et son grand clocher. Les portes d´accès, taillées en bois, se trouvent dans la partie latérale. On y organise des événements comme la Semaine Sainte, Noël, ou la Célébration en honneur du Très Saint.
Página Web: Masses: Lundi au vendredi à 07h30, dimanches à 08h00 et 10h00
SAN ALFONSO CHURCH
Dirección: Simón Bolívar and Antonio Borrero
Phone: 2835 919
Horario: Masses. Monday to Saturday: 06h00, 07h00, 08h00 and 19:00. Sunday: 05h00, 06h00, 07h00, 08h00, 09h00, 10h00, 11h30 and 19h00
Responsable: Padre Nicolás Orosco
This church is currently on the site where the church and convent of San Agustin were located. Later the Redemptorist missionaries decided to demolish the old convent in 1870 and construct the current church in 1874. The construction took 14 years, thanks to the help of the faithful believers who cooperated in its construction. The church has three naves and is characterized by the orientation of its spaces in the form of an “H.” The interior has a number of sculptures, such as the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Holy Family; and colonial paintings such as Saint Michael the Archangel. The architectural design corresponds to the German priest Juan Stiehle.
SAN FRANCISCO CHURCH
Dirección: Padre Aguirre and Presidente Córdova
Phone: 2822 987/ 2826 796
Horario: Masses. Monday to Friday: 07h00 and 18h45. Saturdays: 05h00 and 18:45. Sunday: 07:00, 08:00, 09:00, 10:00. 11:00, 16:00 and 19:00
Responsable: Padre Rigoberto Jara
In 1557 Gil Ramirez Davalos reserved two pieces of land for the establishment of the Franciscan order. The church is oriented on an east–west axis, parallel to Presidente Cordova Street; its façade has a set of pilasters and paired columns of Corinthian style. The tower rises between two gables in the form of an “S” in the Renaissance style. In the church’s interior one can find paintings such as “Lord of Jerusalem,” which dates from the 19th century.
The architectural design is neoclassical in style with a tile floor and wooden pulpit. Its patron saint is Saint Francis of Assisi.
SAN SEBASTIAN CHURCH
Dirección: Simón Bolívar and Coronel Tálbot
Phone: +593072841 493
Horario: Masses. Sunday: 08h00 and 18h00.
Responsable: Father José Bolívar Piedra Aguirre
This church is an important building of the city as it marked the city’s western border. According to documents from the 16th century, reference is made to the chapel of the martyred saints Fabian and Sebastian. Later the first saint is omitted and only the chapel of Saint Sebastian is named. Of note in the church’s exterior, which dates from the 19th century, is the high dome, which rises over the apse, also the tower that crowns the right side of the façade. The image that is venerated corresponds to Our Lady of the Snows, and as a symbol of redemption, we have the Holy Cross.
SANTO CENACULO CHURCH
Dirección: Tarqui and Simón Bolívar
Phone: +593072822716 - +593072829 470
Horario: Masses. Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday: 18h30. Saturday: 07:00 and 08:30.
Responsable: Father Marcelo Cevallos
This church, located in the historic center of Cuenca was the last construction designed by the priest Juan Stiehle. Father Julio Matovelle was the promotor of the construction. It was completed in 1912, thanks to the faithful, who carried out mingas (collective work projects). The belfries have pointed arch openings, located on each of the sides of an octagon and are finished with a small molding with cut peaks. The roof is covered with pieces of frosted ceramic with an iron cross.
SANTO DOMINGO CHURCH
Dirección: Gran Colombia and Padre Aguirre
Phone: +593072845 562
Horario: Masses. Monday to Saturday 07h00, 08h00, 09h00, 19h00
Responsable: Father Yonsarid Culma
This is the second largest church after the New Cathedral. Imposing twin towers rise to a height of 37 meters over the church’s façade. Construction began from the second decade of the 19th century. Upon its completion in the 30s, it was dedicated to Our Lady of the Rosary, better known as the “Morenica” of the Rosary, and whose effigy can still be seen today on the church’s main altar. The church possesses colonial canvases dating from the 13th century depicting the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary,
RUINAS DE PUMAPUNGO
Dirección: Calle Larga and Av. Huayna Cápac
Phone: 2831521
Horario: Tuesday to Friday: 09h00 to 17h00, Saturdays, sundays and holidays: 10h00 to 16h00
Costo: Free
Responsable: Eco. Jonathan Koupermann
The site where the Archaeological Park of Pumapungo is located has been witness to the passage of three important occupations: the first, Cañari, with the city of Guapondelig; the second, Incan, with the city of Tomebamba; and the third, Spanish, under the name “Santa Ana of the Rivers of Cuenca.” The archaeological site is situated strategically on the top of the Tomebamba River Bluff. Among its installations we now find an ethno-botanic garden and an aviary.
RUINAS DE TODOS SANTOS
Dirección: Calle Larga and Manuel Vega
Phone: 2821177
Horario: Monday to Friday: 08h00 to 16h30
Costo: Free
Responsable: Mrs. Martha Orellana
These ruins were discovered by accident in 1972. Here we find an interesting overlapping of the Cañari, Incan and Spanish cultures.
ESCUELA CENTRAL (INMACULADA CONCEPCIÓN)
Dirección: Gran Colombia and Benigno Malo
Phone: 409 7447
Horario: Monday to Friday 08h00 to 18h00 and Saturday: 09h00 to 14:00
Costo: Gratuito
Responsable: Dirección de Educación y Cultura del Municipio de Cuenca
This is a building constructed by the German Redemptorist Juan Stiehle. It functioned as a school for girls from 1882 under the name “Central School” due to its location in the city’s center. In 1965 the school took the name Immaculate Conception and functioned there until 2008. The building is situated on a corner and has two entries, which connect to one central patio through entrance corridors.
CASA AZUL
Dirección: Gran Colombia and Padre Aguirre 10-29
Horario: Monday to Friday: 08h00 to 13:00 and 15:00 to 18:00.
Costo: Free
Responsable: Arch. Claudio Carvallo
The name of this old Republican-period house is due to the bold color of its joinery. Access is through a slightly sloping stone entranceway, covered with bones placed in a geometric pattern. It has a patio and backyard, thick adobe walls and a structure covered with wood; stairs, floors, handrails, doors and traditional windows are all of wood.
CASA DE CHAGUARCHIMBANA
Dirección: Las Herrerías
Phone: 409 7447
Horario: Monday to Friday: 08h00 to 18:00.
Costo: Free
Responsable: Dirección de Educación y Cultura del Municipio de Cuenca Fundación Paul Rivet
Its name comes from Chaguarquero, which indicates a place of lesser depth for crossing a river. Its name means El Penco (agave plant) del Vado, and it is believed that it carries this name from the colonial era. From that time, this site has always born witness to important historic events. It was here in the year 1908 where Miss Florencia Astudillo lived. She donated the property for the Cristo Rey retirement home. In 1969 it was acquired by the Municipality of Cuenca and given in 1988 to the Paul Rivet Foundation for the Arts of Earth and Fire Museum.
CASA DE LAS PALOMAS
Dirección: Benigno Malo 6-40 and Presidente Córdova
Phone: 2827 353
Horario: Monday to friday: 8:00 to 16:30
Costo: Free
Responsable: Instituto Nacional de Patrimonio Cultural Subdirección del Austro
This is a heritage building of the city. The structure is composed of three sections constructed in the 19th century. The initial owners were the Maldonado Crespo family and the Rendon family, who used it as a home. In the case of the second owners, they made changes, the most notable of which was a second floor, interior walls decorated with murals and ceilings. Later it functioned as the military zone officers’ club, as a school, and finally as the Cristo candle factory and ammunition primer factory. In 1987, the INPC purchased the building and established its installations; it is now the INPC headquarters.
CASA DE LAS POSADAS
Dirección: Gran Colombia 17- 42, and Miguel Heredia
Phone: 2822 527
Horario: Monday to Friday: 09h00 to 17:30, Saturdays and Sundays 09h00 - 13:00
Costo: Free
Responsable: Dirección de Educación y Cultura del Municipio de Cuenca
The Casa de las Posadas (Lodging House) Municipal Cultural Center, which functions in the heritage locale of the same name, recovers the architectural testimony of one of the oldest constructions in the city of Cuenca.
It is located at the juncture of the colonial sectors of Tanadacatu, Las Ollerías, and El Tejar. This was a strategic location in the internal commerce and external regional commerce in the centuries of the colony and until the beginning of the Republic, given that it was the entry and exit point for transporting goods. From here diversities of products were sent and brought over the trail from Naranjal-Puerto de Bola across the Andean mountains by way of El Cajas Massif.
CASA DE LOS ARCOS
Dirección: Tarqui (La Condamine street)
Phone: Lunes a Viernes de 09:00 am a 17:30 pm
Horario: Monday to Friday: 09h00 to 17h30
Costo: Free
Responsable: State University of Cuenca
The house was built at the close of 1800. For many years it was abandoned, and that same abandonment extinguished its brown and white colors, converting them to sad, dark colors. But more than two years ago the University of Cuenca acquired this property, and with the help of artists and specialists in restoration, the arduous work of recovery was initiated.
CASA SEDE DE LA FUNDACIÓN BIENAL DE CUENCA
Dirección: Calle Bolívar y Estévez De Toral
Phone: 2831 778
Horario: Monday to Friday 8h00 to 13h00 and 15h00 to 18h00
Costo: Free
Responsable: Biennial of Cuenca Fundation House
This French-style building of neo-classical influence has a rose-colored marble façade. Of note in the interior are the examples of polychrome brass. This is the headquarters of the Biennial of Cuenca, an institution in existence for two decades, whose objective is the development of local art through a Latin American vision. Its first editions were purely painting, while later editions were also devoted to the dissemination of the visual arts, which have transcendence nationally in Latin America and the Caribbean.
COLEGIO BENIGNO MALO
Dirección: Fray Vicente Solano 2-58
Phone: 2824 129
Horario: Monday to friday: 7h00 to 18h00
Costo: Free
Responsable: Magister Laura Serrano
The building has a marked Renaissance influence. It was designed by an architect from Quito, Luis Felipe Donoso Barba, who planned it as a single building on the outskirts of the city.
It exhibits radial symmetry, resolved in seven alternately recessed elements, which have been built on a great platform, like a podium surrounded by a balustrade, with the principal entrance highlighted by staircases. It was finished entirely in standard construction brick.
EDIFICIO ALCALDIA EX BANCO DEL AZUAY
Dirección: Simón Bolívar and Presidente Borrero
Phone: 2845 499
Horario: Monday to Friday: 8h00 to 18h00
Costo: Free
Responsable: Gobierno Autónomo Descentralizado de Cuenca
The building’s outer shell is made of marble, highlighting its enormous pillars. The ground floor is used for art exhibits. Until 1999 it functioned as the Bank of Azuay; currently it houses the offices of the Mayor of Cuenca.
QUINTA BOLIVAR, ACTUAL MUSEO BOLIVARIANO
Dirección: Av. 24 de Mayo sector puente de Gapal
Phone: 409 7327
Horario: Monday to Friday: 9H00 to 17h30, Saturday and Sunday: 9h00 to 13h00
Costo: Free
Responsable: Dirección de Educación y Cultura del Municipio de Cuenca
This is an emblematic construction of the city of Cuenca. Its name commemorates the Liberator Simon Bolivar’s passage through our city in 1822. The current villa was constructed in 1936 by Don Benjamin Ramirez Arteaga as a weekend and vacation home.
A highlight of the façade’s design is the marble used in the corner columns with their grooved shafts. On the ground floor there is a drawing room, study and two side rooms. Since 2005 the building functions as the Bolivar Museum. In addition, it functions as the Seat of the House of the National Assembly, and once a week a member of the Assembly is present.
CEMUART (CASA DE LA MUJER)
Dirección: General Torres and Sucre
Phone: 2845 854
Horario: Monday to Saturday: 08h00 to 18h00, Sunday: 08h00 to 13h00
Costo: Free
Responsable: Ing. Natalia Reinoso
It was founded in 1998 for the purpose of promoting crafts. The building houses locales with crafts such as jewelry, weavings, woodcarvings, ceramics, woven baskets, toquilla straw objects, etc. This old mansion represents a symbol for the women of Cuenca as it gives witness to their important role in society and their ability for craft work. It has 100 locales that exhibit and sell crafts and also complementary services.
It received an Award for Excellence in 2010-2011 from the UNESCO for crafts in the Andean region.
GALERIA DE EDUARDO VEGA
Dirección: Way to Turi 201.
Phone: (593 7) 2881407 / 817177
Horario: Monday to Friday: 08h30 to 17h30, Saturdays: 09h00 to 13h30, Sunday: 09h00 to 13h30
Costo: Free
Responsable: Marcia Coronel
Eduardo Vega is one of the most esteemed creators of murals and designers of ceramics of Latin America. He has contributed to beautifying public spaces in Ecuador, his native land and other places of the continent. The gallery/workshop produces, exhibits and offers for sale a rich sample of artistic, decorative and utilitarian pieces made by hand in an ambience of color and luminosity. One can find a range of pieces from small tiles decorated with native birds, to heritage houses, or plants, to mugs, cheese dishes, coffee-cup sets, to complete sets of dishes or murals in high relief.
Página Web: Du lundi au vendredi de 08h30 à 17h30 ; samedis 09h00 à 13h00, dimanches 09h00 à 13h30
PLAZA DE SAN FRANCISCO
Dirección: Presidente Córdova entre Padre Aguirre y General Torres
Horario: Lunes a Sábado de 08:00 a 18:00. Domingos 08:00 a 15:00
Costo: Gratuito
Se incorpora a la traza urbana en 1558 apenas a un año de la fundación española, por el fallecimiento del propietario a pocos meses de haberse adjudicado la parcela, pasando a ser propiedad municipal. A través de los siglos esta plaza tuvo algunos usos como ser el primer mercado de la ciudad, partidero de transporte público, aparcamiento de vehículos de alquiler, plazoleta de ventas de libros y ferias, entre otros. En la actualidad encontramos en sus alrededores gran variedad de artesanías y objetos de nuestra región y país.
PLAZA SANGURIMA (PLAZA ROTARY)
Dirección: Gaspar Sangurima and Vargas Machuca
Horario: Monday to Saturday: 08h00 to 18h00. Sundays 08h00 to 15h00
Costo: Free
Known as the Rotary Plaza, one finds crafts of all types for sale in 96 locales; among them are ceramics, wrought iron, tinwork, woven baskets, toquilla straw, wooden furniture, and, depending on the time of year, Christmas merchandise.
PLAZA SANTA ANA
Dirección: Benigno Malo and Mariscal Lamar
Horario: Monday to Saturday: 08h00 to 18h00. Sunday 08h00 to 15h00
Costo: Free
In this plaza one can find a number of craftsmen dedicated to producing costume jewelry with natural materials (vegetal ivory, seeds, etc.).