Latacunga

If you’re looking for somewhere to party, Cotopaxi province’s capital city is not where you want to be. But Latacunga is a friendly, quiet town that is a great place to rest up before or after trekking Volcan Cotopaxi or visiting Zumbahua, Lago Quilotoa, or any of the province’s other small mountain villages. The town is also home to the famous Mama Negra festivals and a heart stopping gastronomic concoction called the chugchucara.

When you first get dropped off at the bus terminal on the Panamericana, especially if its nighttime, Latacunga may seem a bit seedy, isolated, and run down, and you may wonder just what it is that you’re doing there. But once you cross the Rio Cutuchi you’ve entered the real Latacunga – a sleepy town that seems dead after 8 o’clock, even on a Friday or Saturday night. Even Parque Vincente Leon, the town’s main plaza, is locked shut every night promptly at seven.

On a clear day Latacunga can be quite a striking picture with the monstrous Volcan Cotopaxi looming in the distance. The sight is all the more dramatic considering that the volcano has obliterated Latacunga three times (but not once since 1877!), thus explaining the town’s lack of colonial architecture.