Cojitambo is a rocky hill that rises abruptly above the valley of Azogues, in the province of Cañar, in the southern Andes of Ecuador. Its summit and slopes hold the remains of a Cañari and Inca settlement, with walls, terraces and stairways, and the Inca road ran past it, a segment of the Qhapaq Ñan listed by UNESCO. The Cañari were the people of this region before the Inca conquest, and they resisted fiercely, later siding with the Spanish against their Inca overlords. Today the hill is also a popular spot for rock climbing, with routes on its cliffs.
Azogues, a town of about thirty-five thousand, lies a few kilometres away, with a large church on a hill, the sanctuary of the Virgen de la Nube, and a market. The region is known for weaving toquilla straw hats, known around the world as Panama hats, although they are made in Ecuador. Cuenca, a short ride south, is one of the most beautiful colonial cities in South America, with a historic centre listed by UNESCO, and Ingapirca, the largest Inca site in Ecuador, lies to the north, with a temple of the sun.
The riding in the southern Andes is superb. The Pan-American Highway runs through the valleys, with curves, climbs and views over the mountains, and the minor roads to villages and sites wind through hills and fields. The tarmac is decent on the whole on main roads, more variable on minor ones, with landslides possible in the rainy season. Altitude is over two thousand five hundred metres, and the weather can change quickly, with sun, rain and fog in the same day. Watch for trucks, buses and dogs.
Azogues has pumps, a supermarket and a few places to eat, and Cuenca has everything. Food in the region includes mote pillo, hominy with eggs, cuy, roasted guinea pig, and hornado, roast pork, as well as fresh fruit juices. Climb to the top of Cojitambo on foot, a short but steep walk, and look out over the valley; the Cañari and the Inca chose this spot for its view, and on a clear day, the panorama over the Andes is stunning.