Cuenca

Cuenca is a city teeming with artisans that pride themselves for continuing a tradition of hand-made crafts, ceramics, textiles and jewelry. Cuenca was originally a Cañari settlement known as Guapondeleg, which translates into "land as big as heaven." The birthplace of poets and great men, the "Athens of the Andes" has a history, culture, and architecture so rich and well preserved its been declared both a UNESCO World Heritage Site as well as the Cultural Capital of the Americas. From Incan ruins to the Carmen de la Asunción Baroque chapel, from pre-colonial cobbled stone streets to the Cajas National Park and its 250 lakes, the past is woven by hand into the present of Cuenca.

At 2800 meters, Cuenca serves as a great jumping-off point for exploration beyond, and it will put our students’ Spanish lessons to the test as they fully immerse themselves on a Spanish-speaking continent. After learning from indigenous communities how to spin wool or mill grains, TGS students might try their hands at weaving Panama hats – which are from Ecuador, not Panama. The students will have a chance to really stretch their legs and visit Ingapirca, the largest Incan ruins of Ecuador, where they will hike the ancient Incan trail to Machu Picchu in Peru. Finally, the students will brush up on their science in the Galapagos Islands, as they walk in Darwin's footsteps and examine the life cycle of marine, land, and pink iguanas. There’s so much to study in and around Cuenca it’s dizzying – but of course, that could also be the effects of high altitude.