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Rural parish · Cuenca, Ecuador

Molleturo

Molleturo is an extensive rural parish on Cuenca's western side, stretching across highland, mountain and lower, warmer environments. Its public identity as “the parish of water” is grounded in rivers, lakes, cascades and coastal hot springs, while the Qhapaq Ñan and Paredones connect that landscape to Cañari and Inka history.

A parish crossed by the Qhapaq Ñan

Molleturo's territorial plan describes the Inka road as an older Cañari chaquiñán later improved as the Qhapaq Ñan, a route used for messages, exchange and movement across the Andes. Paredones, a Cañari–Inka archaeological site, is protected in a municipal reserve record and remains one of the parish's strongest links between heritage and landscape. 1 5 2

Water across three environments

The municipal tourism account groups Molleturo's identity around rivers, lagoons, cascades and hot springs. VisitCuenca's parish guide adds the high Tres Cruces landscape, the Migüir viewpoint and tarabita, the central church of San Santiago and San Felipe, and the Paredones route as distinct settings within one very large parish. 2 3 1

Migüir, trout and local enterprise

Migüir's trout production gives Molleturo a food and community-tourism expression alongside its archaeology and water landscapes. The municipality's 2026 account of the seventh Trout Festival describes producers, restaurants, tourism associations and entrepreneurs using gastronomy, fishing and culture to strengthen the local economy. 3 6 4

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