El Cajas National Park

* growing near a lake in the park.]]

**El Cajas National Park** or **Cajas National Park** () is a place high in the mountains in Ecuador. It is about 30&nbsp;km west of Cuenca in Azuay. Part of the park, about 285.44&nbsp;km2 (28,544 ha) between 3100m and 4450m above sea level, has páramo plants and sharp and steep hills and valleys. People made this place a National Park on November 5, 1996. The law that made it is called "resolution N° 057."

## Name
The name "Cajas" comes from the Quichua word "cassa" meaning "gateway to the snowy mountains." or "caxa" (Quichua:cold). People also think the Spanish word "cajas" (boxes) may have something to do with the name.

In the lower parts of the park, the cloud forest and high mountain forest grow. Most of these are in the ravines near the streams and rivers.

### Animals
The Cajas National Park has many different animals, some of which could die out soon: The South American condor is one. There are only 80 of these condors in Ecuador. Others are the curiquinga, a large black and white bird that eats meat, and one of the largest hummingbirds in the world, the Southern giant hummingbird (*Patagona gigas*). The violet-throated metaltail (*Metalura gorjivioleta*) lives in Cajas and other valleys nearby. There are 157 bird species in the park. People like to come to the park to look at the birds.

People have found 44 different mammals in the park, for example, opossums, cats, and bats. Also, there are pumas, coatis, weasels, skunks, foxes, porcupines, pacas, shrews, rabbits, and other rodents, for example the Cajas water mouse  (*Chibchanomys orcesi'') and Tate's shrew opossum (*Caenolestes tatei*).

At least 17 amphibians live around the lagoons of Cajas, for example *Atelopus*, *Telmatobius*, *Gastrotheca*, *Eleutherodactylus*, and *Colostethus*. Because there are so many different amphibians, scientists think there must also be many different insects, because amphibians eat insects.

## People in the park
Human beings lived in this place long ago, during the Cañari period in Ecuador's history. There were three long roads between Guapondelig (later Tomebamba, today Cuenca) to other places, for example Paredones, a big trading place. After the Incan people came to the area, they built more roads to go with the roads that were already there. People have found 28 good places to dig for human things in the park and nearby. The things they found in the ground show that people lived there before the Incas. During the Colonial time, after Europeans came to Ecuador, people let animals eat grass here. But because it is a park now, people come here to hike, climb, camp, fish, and look at birds. Control points are located at the road entries to the park. The park has a special hut and can be reached from Cuenca and Guayaquil. A road from Chaucha to San Joaquin touches on the southern border of the park, and people can enter the park there.

## International listings
Cajas is listed as a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance. It is also an Important Bird Area. UNESCO is thinking about making it a World Natural Heritage Site.

## Related pages
* *Pristimantis erythros*

## References
## Other websites
*Etapa site about the park