The History of Baños de Agua Santa

The first people to settle in Baños almost certainly originated from Lagoa Santa in Brazil, and had ventured down the river Pastaza basin until they reached the Andes. In 1919, remains of 44 skulls, and stone and clay artefacts were found in the San Pedro caves. They are now kept at the Jacinto Jijòn y Caamaño Museum in Quito’s Catholic University. Other archaeological remains have been found in Runtún and Machay.

History of Banos of the Holy Waters

According to reliable historical testimony, Banos doesn’t have a founder or a date when it was officially established. Before the invasion of the Spanish, Banos was inhabited by small, disperse group of Indians, Spanish and Mestizos who lived by commercial trading between the Amazonas and the mountain regions.
Some say Banos was founded by the Spanish in 1553, but this has no basis historically. The confusion for this seems to be that this was the year the Dominican were assigned to preach to the people in Canelos and Boboaza.
When the Spanish arrived, the area was dominated by the Puruha language and there were also small groups of Panzaleos. Many of them had fled in the face of the Spanish massacres, along with small groups from the Amazonas.

During the 15th, 16 th and 17th centuries, little documented history exists, but the following is a summary based of the available information!
In 1541, Father Vacas Galindo writes about the arrival of Gonzalo Diaz de Pineda, Martin de la Calle and Alfonso de Orejuela with a contingent of Spanish soldiers . They were accompanied by a group of Huambaloes Indians who had related to the Spanish that there was a gold mine in the foothills of the Volcano Tungurahua. These ambicious Spanish conquerors were eager to find the riches. Fortunately, their efforts to find other gold, manely, El Dorado (Expedition in Baeza) made them forget the gold mine at the base of Tungurahua.
The historian Toro Ruiz tells us that in 1585 Pedro Fernandez de Espinoza gave the territory to the Presbyterian Alvaro Guerrero Zalamea, the jurisdiction of IPO. This religion came to take possession of the lands and he designated it, “Estancia de Nuestra Senora de Monserratte”. He came together with Alonso Guerrero , they took control and named the it Hacienda de San Jose de Juivi.
They started a business producing indigo. It’s assumed, it was Alvaro Guerrero who began the worship of the Virgin Maria and built the now famous Ermita de la Virgin (located in the site of the offices of the city of Banos).
Pilar Ponce Leiva ( according to Indian cronicles) tells us that in the year 1604 when they came to the place called Asiento de los Banos ( seat of the baths) there was several acres where a small mixed population of Spanish and Indians living at the base of a waterfall where they bathed in thermal waters that mixed with the cooler water from the river. The Indians called the waters Ishpaypae which signifies the urine or pee of Mama Tungurahua.
Also they found a small church with a straw roof (La Emita de la Virgen)

In 1694, the new owner of the haciendas San Jose de Juivi and San Vincente was the Spanish General Antonio Palomino Flores (this area now is Banos).He made an agreement with the priest to pay 3000 pesos every year to maintain the small church and support the priests. This money was taken out of the workers salaries. The unpopular arrangement was seen as an exploitation of the people.

In 1764, the Italian priest Mario Cicala in his book, “The Historical Topography of the province of Quito”, describes the people of the region in this manner: Banos is an area of water that attracts people from many areas , the poor and rich alike! There are about 300 persons living in their miserable houses of straw. Almost all are mestizos, there is also Dominican priest living there. The climate is humid, they grow corn , yucca, carrots, sweet potatoes, bananas and peppers of various varieties.
Near Banos passes the river Pastaza ( length to the Amazonas 643 kilometros) The small church burned down while performing a miracle, leaving the wood statue of Maria destroyed. The faithful church goers are going to build a new stone church (which was built in 1788)

Feburary 4 1773- The first recorded eruption of the volcano Tungurahua- a catastrophe for Banos and it’s residents. Before the eruption, various historians related , among them, Father Juan de Velasco, Tungurahua was pryramid shape with a very pronounced peak. Today this area is the crater that began to form in this period. Hot vapor clouds and rivers of lava flowed freely. The foothill of” El Calvario” was formed in this eruption. The lava ran and filled one of the riverbeds of Bascun , which today is calle Martinez and it ran to the doors of the Emita de la Virgen recently reconstructed. In this year, some famous people began to visit Banos, including Pedro Vincente Maldonado, the First Marques of Selva Alegre, Montufur and Frazo.

1797- The destruction of the central Andes (volcanic eruption – deaths Riobamba 6000, Ambato 8000, Banos 432, Latacunga 23.The volcanoes Altar, Tungurahua and Quilotoa erupt . Everybody flees from Banos, including the parish priest! The first great evacuation of Banos!

1820-Little by little Banos was rebuilt . 226 pesos were contributed by it’s residents to help in the rebuilding.

1840- The parish priest, in order to survive, invited people to live in Banos offering free tituled parcels of land in the rural areas with the condition they would pay 10 % and give their first harvest to the church . To promote the idea, the church had a big party for all the people in honor of the virgin of the holy waters and so began the tradicional October fiestas of Banos.
During the 19th century, especially the second half, because of the political turmoil at the national level, Banos became a refuge for both liberal and conservative politicians. Among them : Juan Montalvo, ( hacienda de Puntzan) Many immigrants from Colombia came to Banos as landholders, including Garcia Moreno and Los Romos, Los Erazo, Los Gonzalos, Fierro, Argoti
Some of the haciendas around Banos included. Ulba, Ulbilla, Valencia, Vizcaya, Agoyan, Puntzan, San Vincente, LLuchi, Juivi. Banos was divided between a general population and haciendas.

January 11, 1886- Eruption of Tungurahua, 90 days of catastrophe including ash, hot volcanic clouds, rivers of lava, many dark days (sky obscured by ash) The villages of Patate and Chamo effected. No deaths registered in Banos.

!887- 1909- Father Tomas Halfants a Belgian priest, the greastest contributor to the growth of Banos. Carasmatic spiritual lider- generous, honest ,creative. He arranged the street system in Banos,
named the thermal pools and the waterfall of the Virgen, built the bridges of San Francisco, Topo, San Martin and Las Juntas, rebuilt the old church and.began work on the bascilica of Maria (1904-1944) Built The bronze monument in the plaza of
El Higueron . Father Halfants brought to Banos a community spirit and elevated the general moral of the citizens of Banos.

1916-1920 Another eruption of Tungurahua - similar to the 1886 eruption. This eruption produced a massive explosion felt in Riobamba. Lahares(mud slides) and lava entered Nahuazo (Salado-upper part by pool) Cascajo (pumice ) fell and there was ash most of the time.

1928- The president of Ecuador, Isidro Ayora , built the old road from Ambato to Banos and constructed the thermal pools.

1931- Began the time of “Olas de Pastaza” ( waves of the river Pastaza) BAnos had it’s first reports, a brave man , intelligent, very professional by the name of Senor Ricardo Zurita Carrillo
He was assassinated by his enemies.

1933-The pools “ El Cangrejo” (the crab) built.

1935-1937 The first power plant is built in Banos by the President of Ecuador Federico Paez, giving power to Banos and the surrounding areas.
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1938- Father Sebastian Acosta finishes the building of the Basilica and the Convent of the Virgen of the Holy Water in the year 1944. Father Enrique Mideros did the baroque decoration in the church. The altar, pulpit confession boxes were carved by Juan Manzano and his group of artists. The doors, handles and furniture were built by Angel Rios and his helpers. The stonecutters came from Latacunga, Pelileo and Riobamba. The wood came from Lluchi and a semi- gothic style of construction was used in the design of the church.

December 16, 1944- Banos officially becomes an incorporated town. Pedro Tomas Vargas was the first mayor; the first elected president of Banos was Carlos Gonzalez.

Between 1956 an 1960- Camilo Ponce Enriquez built the bridge , the Juntas, the modern thermal pools, the tunnel Agoyan and the road Banos to Riobamba.

1955 The rural part of Banos was established.

1965 Telephone system established in Banos

1972 First TV station in Banos – channel 10

1980-1986 The building of the hydro-electric dam -Agoyan
Also, tourism began to increase, both national and foreign travelers. New services for tourist established. Streets of Banos paved.

1984 Direct phone service to all of Ecuador from Banos.

1990 Ambato street (main street converted to broad sidewalks to accommodate tourism .A large growth in tourism and services for tourists.

1999 The second eruption of volcano Tungurahua. Second evacuation of Banos .

2000 Population of Banos returns from evacuation.

2003 New bridge (for evacuation) San Francisco opens.

2004 the construction of the hydro-electric plant San Francisco begins. New road to Puyo opens. New streets open with wider sidewalks for tourism.

2006 Volcano Tungurahua reactivates.

Other prominent people from Banos- Pablo Arturo Suarez (doctor and scientist) Heriberto Jacome, Luciano Castro, NapoleonHerrera, Camilo Medrano, Elias Villafuerte.

Source:

Baños en el Tiempo y en el Espacio. Tomos I y II - Dr. Enrique Freire Guevara.

Baños desde sus orígenes al cabildo - Oscar Efrén Reyes

Baños Monografía - León María Vieira