IBARRA

in full San Antonio De Ibarra, city, north-central Ecuador, situated in an Andean valley at an elevation of 7,300 feet (2,200 m), within the Ecuadorian Lake District. It was founded in 1606 by the soldier Cristbal Torre, a representative of Miguel de Ibarra, the president of the royal audiencia of Quito (a judiciallegislative body), and was named for him. Though largely destroyed by an earthquake in 1868, it has retained much of its colonial architecture and atmosphere. Ibarra is the trade centre for the region's agricultural products, including cotton, sugarcane, coffee, cereals, and livestock. It has a large sugar refinery and is famous for its wood carvings and native textiles and silverwork. Landmarks include Our Lady of Mercy colonial shrine; the nearby ruins of Caranqui, where the last Inca emperor, Atahuallpa, was supposedly born; and Laguna de Yaguarcocha (Lake of Blood), named after a battle between the Caras and the Incas in which the slain were thrown into the lake. Ibarra is a Roman Catholic episcopal see. The Pan-American Highway and the railway to Quito pass through the city. Pop. (1989 est.) 72,016.