April 19, 2010

The Local High School


This is the local public high school, which I pass every time I walk to the centro. Colegio Benigno Malo was founded in 1858; however, its present location was built in 1924. It was the first coed high school in Cuenca and it's one of Cuenca’s largest buildings, as well as one of its most beautiful landmarks. Its alumni include several prominent politicians and writers, among them the president of the National Assembly.

It’s located on Fray Solano and Daniel Cordova and attended by close to 2000 students, which is over capacity. It is not in good repair and a couple of years ago its students went on strike demanding improvement in both its physical and academic infrastructure. Imagine, high schoolers demanding a more rigorous education! It does my heart good.


It is a truly grand structure, in spite of the broken panes in many of its windows and the graffiti defacing some of its walls. Like many beautiful buildings in Cuenca, it is a monument to the faded glory of days gone by.

3 comments:

Sapa Ynca said...

Great looking school! I can't wait to visit Cuenca one day.Viva Ecuador!

cingstars said...

That last picture is gorgeous!

Lourdes said...

It's those amazing clouds! They make everything look good :)