Ibarra, city, north-central Ecuador, situated in a valley of the Andes Mountains at an elevation of 7,300 feet (2,200 metres), within the Ecuadoran Lake District. It was founded in 1606 by the soldier Cristóbal Torre, a representative of Miguel de Ibarra, the president of the royal audiencia of Quito (a judicial–legislative body), and was named for him. Though largely destroyed by an earthquake in 1868, it has retained much of its colonial atmosphere.
Ibarra is the trade centre for the region’s agricultural products, including cotton, sugarcane, coffee, cereals, and livestock. It has a sugar refinery and is famous for its wood carvings and native textiles and silverwork.
Landmarks include Our Lady of Mercy shrine; the nearby ruins of Caranqui, where the last Inca emperor, Atahuallpa, was supposedly born; and Laguna de Yaguarcocha (“Lake of Blood”), named after a battle between Ibarra’s inhabitants and the Incas, in which the slain were thrown into the lake. Ibarra is a Roman Catholic episcopal see. The Pan-American Highway passes through the city. Pop. (2001) 108,535; (2010) 131,856.