Liribamba

Liribamba is associated with the Puruhá country near Colta, where Spanish settlement developed into old Riobamba. Diego de Almagro founded Santiago de Quito here on 15 August 1534 amid competing conquest claims. The colonial town subsequently acquired churches, religious houses and waterworks, leaving a built landscape that was repeatedly damaged and repaired by earthquakes.

On 4 February 1797 a devastating earthquake destroyed Riobamba. Landslides buried parts of the town, while blockage of the river threatened further flooding. Survivors and officials debated where rebuilding should take place before the town moved to the Tapi plain. Beneath the old site, stone water channels, metal kitchen utensils and a paved courtyard attributed to a Jesuit convent preserve traces of colonial households and institutions. The remains also show that, before the final abandonment, inhabitants had reused material from earlier earthquake-damaged buildings to construct new homes.