What is "pambamarca"

Pambamarca (alternate, Pimbamarca) is an eroded stratovolcano in the Central Cordillera of the northern Ecuadorian Andes in the northeast of the Pichincha province of Ecuador. Continuously snow-covered, it is northeast of Quito. The summit is at an elevation of .

The snow-capped mountains of the Pambamarca in the Andean Highlands of Ecuador has many Pre-Columbian fortresses that predate the arrival of the Spanish in the region; Pambamarca has the greatest concentration of these forts. An Archaeological Research Project titled "Pambamarca Archaeological Project" is exploring this area for the last 13 years with participation by many international organizations Universities and the Government of Ecuador with the objective of exploring the cultural landscapes, its prehistoric, historic and contemporary cultures, particularly of Ecuador’s important Pre-Columbian cultural heritage. The area is now under the tentative List of UNESCO World Heritage Sites and the research project is oriented to bring it into the permanent List of Heritage Sites in Ecuador.