The city of Riobamba is surrounded by parks and plazas filled with colonial architecture. The history of this city is marked by its location, a key point linking the coastal and mountain regions of Ecuador. In 1830, when Ecuador became independent from Gran Colombia, the first constitution of the new Republic was signed in Riobamba.
The main square, Maldonado Park, boasts a majestic fountain, the local government building and the Santa Bárbara Cathedral - its colonial stone design gives the square a truly European feel. Another important park to the south east of the city is the Sucre Park which houses an original fountain dedicated to Neptune. A few blocks from the train station to the northwest is the 21st April Park (the date of Riobamba’s Independence Day), a historic spot were the Spanish were defeated. Here there is a colourful tiled tablet depicting proudly the history of Ecuador.