HISTORY

Cotopaxi is the highest active volcanoes in the world (5,897meters/19,348 feet). Records of its activity date back to 1534, when the Conquistadors came to what now is known as Ecuador.

History tells of a battle between the Spanish invaders and indigenous natives which was happening when the volcano erupted frightening the two groups. The indigenous people venerated the volcano and they interpreted this as a bad sign, while the Spanish soldiers were simply terrified, they had never experienced volcanic activity.

After this, Cotopaxi erupted several times. The most famous eruption was in June 1877 when lahars (avalanches of mud caused by melted glaciers descend at a high speed down the slopes of the volcano) destroyed cities such as Latacunga and devastated many valleys. The wave of muddy water reached the Pacific Ocean at Esmeraldas (hundreds of km away) 18 hours later.

The first person to climb to the rim of the crater was the German Wilhelm Reiss accompanied by a Colombian, Angel Escobar in 1872. They climbed a still warm lava flow on the west side of the Andes.
A decade later the British mountaineer Edward Whymper succeeded in climbing Cotopaxi from the North. This has since become the normal route for climbing the mountain.

Details of the routes are constantly changing due to the constant glacier movement and daily melting snow.

There are a variety of animals such as the Andean wolves (Dusicyon culpaeus), pumas (Felis concolor), deer (Mazama rufina) and marsupial mice (Caenolestes fuliginosus). The last two are endemic species. The most common mammal is the rabbit (sylvilagus brasiliensis).

The vegetation changes with the altitude and when we reach 3,500 meters/11,500 feet we find arboreal species like Pumamaqui (Oreopanax s.p.p.), Quishar or "God's tree" , Mortiño (Vaccinium floribundum) and Romerillo (Hypericum laricifolium).

In the Limpiopungo area there are many birds, especially the Galleteras, ducks, Andean Gull and Sparrow hawks. The rocky volcano Rumiñahui is one of the areas known for condors.
Four bio-regions have been identified within Cotopaxi National Park:

Humid High Mountain Forest

This is found between 3,400 meters/11,000 feet and 3,900 meters/13,000 feet with a temperature between 6°C (43°F) and 12°C (56°F). Trees are stunted and much of this area has been invaded by paramo grass as a result of deforestation and burning. The Chuquiragua plant (climbers' emblem) and Alchemila are characteristic of this area.

Rainy Sub-Andean Plains

This area is characterized by native grass and many water holding cold - resistant plants. The rivers around here, such as the Pita, no longer contain the Prenadilla fish which was an endemic species of the high Andes area. Now we only find trout since its introduction by the Ministry of Agriculture. This river valley was altered by a gigantic lahar of Cotopaxi's last eruption in 1877.

Rainy Andean Tundra

This is the area between 4,400 meters/14,500 feet and 4,700 meters/15,500 feet where the temperatures range from 1.5°C (35°F) to 3°C (38°F). The principal vegetation found here form cushions of lichens and moss.

Permanent Snows

This includes all the snowed surface where there is practically no vegetation