Guano is a funny town. It’s about 25 minutes outside of riobamba, and has a few “interesting” claims to fame. Officially, it’s known for wool carpet weaving, of which there is a lot (like every shop sells carpets). Unofficially, it’s known for three things: two mummies, some fake old statues. and some REALLY strange bushes in the central park.
- Two Mummies The catholic bishop was buried inside his church 400 years ago, and sealed in tight. When they pulled the old church down 20 years ago, they found him inside, completely mummified.
Oh, and a rat was stuck in with him too – you can see it in the photo set. - Fake Stone Statues Thirty years ago, the town hired an artist – I don’t know why. But his idea was to emphasize Guano’s timelessness and historical side. So he cut several statues (a fish, a human face, and a few others that weren’t discussion- or photo-worthy) out of thousand-year-old lava stone (scheise lavastein for the Germans out there).
- Strange Bushes I´m not sure how to explain this:
What’s even better about all this is that it was explained to us (in Spanish) by one of the most unwilling tour guides we’ve ever met! He just so happens to work for the official government tourist agency, and opened up the town museum (all 250 square feet of it) just for us. Check out the rest of the pictures below!
