Cuenca — A Historiographical Essay
I was born and raised in Cuenca, Ecuador. During my upbringing, childhood, and adolescence, most of my memories took place in my grandparents’ house, which is in the urban “parish” of Huayna Capac, known for being on the border between the old and new sides of the city and having nearby various places and facilities. My school was in the very heart of the city, the historic center, and like almost all journeys from one point to another in Cuenca’s urban area, it took me about ten minutes by car from my grandparents’ house. When I grew up, I traveled this route on foot, crossing one of the bridges over the river. The bridges and stairs connect the area where my grandfather lives to the historic cobblestone area of the city built on a small hill. I generally walked to school, the supermarket, or my friends’ houses. While growing up, I always felt privileged and proud to be specifically from Cuenca. At school, they taught me that our customs, environment, art, personalities, and even our accent were differentiating and exceptional elements in Ecuador. Therefore, they had to be a big part of my identity. I realized how influential and relevant my growing up in Cuenca was at the time when I moved out for college to Quito, Ecuador’s capital city, and even more so when I left the country almost three years ago. Seeing Cuenca as an outsider has made me realize the regionalist and sometimes stereotyped narrative in…
