Riobamba, Frio-bamba

Riobamba was our overnight stop on our weekend trip with our friends. Having never been there before, we had only heard it was really cold there. The whole night we kept asking ourselves if it felt colder than Quito or not. Hard to tell! 

We didn't do a whole lot in Riobamba, except walk around a bit and eat dinner. This church stood out though. The info poster called it a mestizo baroque church. 

As you walk closer to it, you can definitely see both styles in it. There are quite a few pre-Colombian symbols on it and it is quite overdone in areas, which indicates baroque style. Many Latin American countries like their baroque style, but Ecuador does go a bit overboard with it. Most of the churches in Quito have baroque touches to them. 

Of course, any church worth its communion host has its additional structures outside: 

a lovely fountain before the church

detail on the fountain

Do you love church architecture?

Churches are a conundrum to me. Humans have designed some of the most amazing structures in terms of beauty but ironically one of the least used buildings in society. Yet, churches amaze me all the same. Compared many of the European churches we had seen over the past few years, the churches in Cuenca, Ecuador, were equal in size, but much more humble on the interior. They made up for a lack of ornate art with a splash of pastel colors which gave the churches a much more inviting feeling over the ominous dark corners of European churches.

So, if you like to look at church architecture, you would enjoy a visit to Cuenca. I could name each of these, but I think you will simply enjoy the view.

Close up on the door of the church above. I love wood carvings.

Apparently this church had a structural issue that did not allow the builders to add the two missing spires. I can just imagine how different this might look.

A back view of the same church above. Again, without the spires.