History about the lagoon

The Yahuarcocha lagoon is a glacial lagoon located in the parish of El Priorato, 3 kilometers north of the city of Ibarra, in the center-east of the province of Imbabura, Ecuador.

2180 m.s.n.m. In a valley between two great volcanoes, the volcano Imbabura and the volcano Cotacachi.

The lagoon has a minimum age of 12,000 years. At present, its mirror of water is of 257 hectares with a navigable perimeter of 7.970 meters, and a maximum depth of 8 meters.
Before the arrival of the Incas was known as Caranguecocha by the town Carangue (today Caranqui).
In 1,487 the Caranquis began a terrible and bloody battle that culminated with the triumph of the Inca Huayna Capac. Once declared the victory ordered to kill all the men able to take the arms. More than 30,000 men died and their corpses, thrown into the lagoon, stained the waters with red. The lagoon then appeared to the Indians as a sea of blood, and they called it Yahuarcocha, which derives from the Quechua roots Yahuar "blood" and Cocha "lake", and means "Lake of Blood."

The fauna of the area consists of small fish, lizards, green frog, fox, rabbit. You can observe birds like the Diver Piquipinto, Andean Teal, Night Heron, American Kestrel, Andean Focha, Bigeye Tortola, Big Blackbird, Blue and White Swallow, Andean Duck, Striated Blue Heron, Pechinegra Eagle, Andean Gull, Ecuadorian Ridger.

In the village of Yahuarcocha there are numerous food stalls that sell tilapia, a fish characteristic of the lagoon. Usually you can choose the piece, and if you prefer fried or roasted.