AZOGUES

city, south-central Ecuador. It lies in a high Andean valley northeast of Cuenca. Its economy is based on agricultural trade, and grains and fruit are cultivated in the surrounding area. Important local industries include flour milling, Panama hat making, and leather tanning. The city takes its name from the Spanish azogue, meaning mercury, which is a local resource. The city is on the Pan-American Highway and on the southern spur of the Guayaquil-Quito railway. Pop. (1990) 21,060.