NATURAL AREAS AND REGIONS 



671 



gases. The crater was inactive for 

 many years but in violent eruption 

 during 1916. In 1925 it still exhibited 

 considerable activity. 



About 5 mi. below Banos, the Pastaza 

 passes over the falls of Agoyan, 198 ft. 

 high. Sinclair and Wasson, who ex- 

 plored this portion of Ecuador in 1921, 

 state, "Several mi. below Banos we 

 entered the Amazon jungle. We crossed 

 the Rio Verde by bridge, the Machay 

 by a dangerous ford. At Quebrada San 

 Francisco, 42 mi. east of Ambato, we 

 noticed sedimentary rocks for the first 

 time. Similar rocks were seen at the 

 Rio Topo, 50 mi. east of Ambato, where 

 a bridge has been built. Shortly beyond 

 the Topo we had to leave our horses, 

 and our journey from there on was on 

 foot. At Mera, 55 mi. east of Ambato, 

 at an elevation of 3800 ft., the Pastaza 

 emerges from its great canyon. We 

 found the village to consist of a string 

 of about ten houses. It is in the belt of 

 maximum rainfall." 



From Mera the trail, which can be 

 negotiated only on foot, passes through 

 Puyo and Indelyama to the village of 

 Canelos (1690 ft.) situated on a beautiful 

 plain overlooking the Rio Bobonaza. 

 Dominican priests are almost the only 

 white residents. It is surrounded by 

 pastures and farms and is said to have 

 few mosquitoes and no malaria. It is 

 the terminus of the trail from Ambato, 

 for here the Bobonaza is navigable 

 by canoe and ten days by water brings 

 one to the Pastaza at Andoas, head of 

 navigation on that stream. 



The trail from Riobamba to Macas is 

 of the same character as the two routes 

 above described. Macas, a town of 

 about 500 white people, is the largest in 

 eastern Ecuador. It lies on the south 

 bank of the Upano River at an elevation 

 of 3580 ft., according to Sinclair and 

 Wasson. 



The trail from Loja to Zamora, far 

 to the south of the others just described, 

 is relatively short and, unlike the others, 

 can be traversed by animals, though 

 during periods of bad weather certain 

 portions must be done on foot. The 



Zamora region is mentioned in con- 

 nection with the discussion of Loja 

 and surrounding country. 



Northern Ecuador 



The overland route from Quito north- 

 ward is much traveled as far as Ibarra, 

 capital of the rich agricultural Province 

 of Imbabura, and to a Jess extent as far 

 as Pasto in the neighboring republic 

 of Colombia. While not suitable for 

 wheeled vehicles except between Otavalo 

 and Ibarra, the trail is in general of 

 good character and passable for horse- 

 men at nearly all times of the year. 

 Occasionally the section between Ibarra 

 and Tulcan becomes deep in mud and is 

 traversed with difficulty. The region 

 between Quito and the Colombian 

 frontier holds much of interest to the 

 naturalist. The remarkable Guailla- 

 bamba Canyon, which lies almost 

 exactly upon the equator 10 mi. north 

 of Quito, presents an admirable op- 

 portunity to study conditions in the 

 arid subtropical zone. North of this 

 lies the Paramo de Mojanda, where are 

 to be found bits of low forest and the 

 typical shrubby vegetation of the 

 paramo region. Near Otavalo is the 

 Lake of San Pablo, one of the largest 

 bodies of water in the Ecuadorian high- 

 lands. Beyond Ibarra is the extremely 

 hot and dry Chota Valley and between 

 this and Tulcan is another interesting 

 paramo region. Off to the east lies the 

 Cordillera de Pimampiro, an extremely 

 moist region in which little collecting 

 has been done. 



From Quito to Ibarra there are two 

 principal routes, one going through the 

 town of Pomasqui, thence across the 

 Guaillabamba Canyon up through the 

 village of Malchingui, across the pdramo 

 of Mojanda, and through the prosperous 

 town of Otavalo; the other passes 

 through Carapungo, descends to the 

 Guaillabamba River and passes through 

 the village of the same name, ascends 

 thence to the town of Cayambe, whence 

 it passes to Ibarra. Of the two routes, 

 that through Pomasqui and Otavalo is 

 the shorter and is generally preferred 



