City Detail

Ambato (Spanish pronunciation: [amˈbato]; full form, San Juan de Ambato; Quechua: Ampatu Llaqta) is a city located in the central Andean valley of Ecuador. Lying on the banks of the Ambato River, the city also sits beneath several tall mountains. It is the capital of the province of Tungurahua, at an elevation of 2,577 meters above sea level. It is variously nicknamed "City of Flowers and Fruit", "Cradle of the Three Juans", and "Garden of Ecuador." Inhabitants of Ambato are called Ambateños or Guaytambos (after a type of native peach that the valley is famous for producing). The current mayor of Ambato is Javier Altamirano. The city has been fully or partially destroyed by earthquakes several times in its history, most recently on 5 August 1949, when the city and its cathedral were almost completely leveled. The city was rebuilt in the two years following.