Archidona, Ecuador Explained

Archidona
Nickname:Ciudad de la chonta (City of the Airplanes)
Settlement Type:Town
Total Type:Town
Flag Size:100px
Seal Size:80px
Pushpin Map:Ecuador
Pushpin Label Position:bottom
Pushpin Mapsize:300
Pushpin Map Caption:Location in Ecuador
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name: Ecuador
Subdivision Type1:Province
Subdivision Name1:Napo Province
Subdivision Type2:Canton
Subdivision Name2:Archidona Canton
Leader Title:Mayor
Leader Name:Jose Toapanta
Established Title:Founded
Established Date:April 21, 1560
Unit Pref:Metric
Area Total Km2:2.92
Population As Of:2022 census
Population Footnotes:[1]
Population Total:7353
Population Density Km2:auto
Coordinates:-0.9167°N -124°W
Elevation M:577
Blank Name:Demonym
Blank Info:archidonense
Blank1 Name:Climate
Blank1 Info:Af

Archidona is a colonial town, founded in 1560, north of Tena, Ecuador in the Napo Province. Archidona still serves as one of the region's main missionary outposts. It's also a business and social center for the small Kichwa communities in the vicinity.

Archidona's festivals attract people from all around and several times throughout the year there are Kichwa beauty and culture pageants, in which contestants, drawn from the many Kichwa communities in the area, compete for the title of "Queen of the Kichwa". The pageants are a unique opportunity to hear Kichwa spoken and sung and to see some very old dances and customs. There are several eliminatory rounds and the finale is usually held in April. During these pageants, one or two fairs usually come to town. There are rides and food stands, lasting several weeks. There is also an open market held in the streets, making it difficult to drive for the few cars in the town. However, the market provides all kinds of amazing things from hand-made cloths to traditional food. Archidona also has several churches because of the strong Catholic influence in the country. The most popular church is simply known as Iglesia de Archidona. There is a baptist church as well, near the edge of town. It was run by American missionaries for over 10 years, until 2017.

Notes and References

  1. https://www.citypopulation.de/en/ecuador/towns/napo/150350__archidona/ Citypopulation.de