Ambato

Ambato, Ecuador is a city located within the imperative Andean valley of Ecuador.2 Lying on the banks of the Ambato River, the metropolis also sits under 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 referred to as Ambatenos, Guaytambos after a form of local peach that the valley is famous for generating. The contemporary mayor of Ambato is Javier Altamirano.

The city has been completely or partly destroyed via earthquakes several times in its records, most currently on 5 August 1949 while the town and its cathedral have been nearly completely leveled. The metropolis became rebuilt within the years following. In honour of the tenacity of the resident Ambateños, the town celebrates the Festival of Fruits and Flowers for the duration of Carnival in February. Today, the Festival of Fruits and Flowers is one of the most important in Ecuador.