Riobamba is the capital of
Chimborazo Province in central
Ecuador, which is located at the Chambo River Valley of the
Andes.
[1] It is 200 km (125 miles) south of Ecuador's capital
Quito and located at 9,000&_160;feet (2,700&_160;m) on the Avenue of the Volcanoes. The city is surrounded by mountains and volcanoes, and while sitting at the foot of the volcano
Chimborazo, one gets the world’s highest view from the center of the
Earth.
[2]Riobamba is an important historic and cultural landmark of Ecuador. The region was a Puruhá Indian territory before it was conquered by the Incas during the late 15th century. It was the first city founded by the Spaniards in what is now Ecuador, founded in 1530. In 1563 the city became part of the Spanish Empire's newly-formed Royal Audience of Quito.
Known as the “Sultan of the Andes”, Riobamba was completely destroyed by earthquake in 1797, but rebuilt a few years later 14 km (9 miles) away from its original location, near a village named Cajabamba. The city still retains a great architecture from the Spanish period. In the struggle against Spanish rule Riobamba first declared independence on November 11, 1820 but was soon retaken. The city finally became part of an independent Gran Colombia in 1822, and then a separate Republic of Ecuador in 1830.
The old city was the birthplace of Isabela Godin des Odonais (b. 1728).
