Santo Domingo, Ecuador


Santo Domingo de los Colorados, simply referred to as Santo Domingo is a city and seat of the canton that bears its name. It is the fourth most populous city in Ecuador with a population of over 305,000, is an important commercial and industrial center, and serves as the capital of the Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas Province.

History

The name, "de los Colorados", refers to a local ethnic group, the Tsáchila, and the custom of men in that tribe to dye their hair with extract of the achiote plant; hence "Santo Dominigo de los Colorados" or "Santo Domingo of the Dyed." This group, which is indigenous to the area, is recognised with a substantial statue near the town center.
In c1936, Sr. Mario Borja, a surveyor and civil engineer for the government of Ecuador, son of Senator-General Philemon Borja, was hired to survey a road from Quito to a settlement within the Tsachila community. After several months, the survey crew arrived at a settlement at the Tuacha River. Mario Borja, as delegate to the Ecuadorian government, officially founded the town of Santo Domingo del Los Colorados and designed the town center.

Geography

Santo Domingo is located approximately 133 km west of Quito at an altitude of 625 m. Santo Domingo lies in the foothills west of the Andes. It is important stopping point on the road from Quito to the Pacific coast. The city also connects other lowland cities like Quevedo, Chone, and Quinindé.
The city is also the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Santo Domingo de los Colorados.

Climate

Santo Domingo has a tropical monsoon climate under Köppen climate classification with influences of altitude. Average temperatures hover around 71 degrees Fahrenheit. Like many other cities on this side of the Andes it floods easily. Roads between Quito and coastal cities such as Esmeraldas and Manta are often washed out and require frequent work.