The Rural Areas of Banos
There are four basic rural areas of Banos. In order to understand the people and their culture better, we will see a legacy of customs that have been passed from generation to generation. We see that the people of Banos tend to be warmer and friendlier with visitors both national and foreign.
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Parroquia Río Negro |
Rio Negro - is the western most territory of Banos , located in the province of Tungurahua . The town consists of a conglomerate of houses located close to the main road, surrounded by an open valley and the Pastaza River . The altitude is 1186 meters, with a humid, tropical climate, average temperature 21 degrees C.. Rio Negro is about 30 kilometers from Banos. The principal road goes to Puyo, but there are many horse trails that connect to more rural residents. These include the following areas: Mirador, San Francisco , Margaritas, La Palmera, La Victoria , El Topo, Colonia Martinez, Colonia Garcia Moreno, Colonia Velasco Ibarra, Colonia Azuay, Colonia Mexico and Cashaurco.
The tourist attractions in these areas include: The Waterfalls of San Francisco, Bathing area Las Estancias, The rivers Topo and Zunag, The Wells of Zunag bathing area, The waterfalls of Algodon and the most important area is the subtropical forests with a great variety of plants and animals.
The residents have dedicated their lives to farming and livestock. Some of the products grown are: sugar cane, platanos( banana family), yucca, guayabas, tangerines naranjilla –known as the golden pepper.
The altitude is 1545 meters, with an average temperature of 20 degrees C.. The weather is warm and humid and the distance from Banos is 16 kilometers.
The weather is about the same in the following areas: La Merced, San Pedro, El Placer, Nueva Libertad, Cadenillas, Machay, La Delicia, La Eaperanza, La Escudilla.
The small towns are located along the river Pastaza and extend to the Amazonica. The major products are oranges, grapefruits, limes, and gyayabas.
In this small towns, we find several important Tourist sites including the waterfalls: Manto de Novia ( bridal vail), San Miguel, El Pailon del Diablo (the devil’s cooking pot) , Machay, and the river Verde.
This area has an altitude of 1795meters and a temperate climate of 16 degrees C., and is 3 kilometers from Banos.
LLigua- is set in the foothills of Chonta and Chontilla and the river lligua runs through the small town. The sectors of Chontilla, Osoguaico, and La Palma are part of this area.
The climate here is a little chilly as a result of the cooler air that blows down from Tungurahua. The area produces corn string beans, beans cabbage and peaches.
The main road from Banos cuts off to this Town and there are numerous secondary roads to outlaying areas. Lligua has a natural pool dammed from the river with cool water, and an enclosed court for playing soccer.
Situated at an altitude of 1690 meters with a temperate climate of 18 degrees.C. It’s located 2 ½ kilometers from Banos.
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This area is part of El Palacio, Vizcaya, El Porvenir, La Cienega, Rio Blanco, Yunguilla, and Guamag.
Ulba is located along the river Pastaza in a small valley and is divided by the river. The agricultural production here is sugar cane, camote (sweet potatoes) guayabas, beans, string beans, cabbage, tangerines, oranges, limes, tomatoes, granadillas, lettuce, garlic and white carrots.
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The area also produces flowers, among which, are gladiolas, margaritas among others.
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