Parque Abdón Calderón

Parque Calderón is the central plaza in Cuenca, built to honor Abdón Calderón, a man who helped the country achieve independence from Spain. In the center of the park is a large monument to this Cuencan hero. Also in the park are the lustrabotas, or shoe shines, generally boys of about 5 or 6 years of age. They'll shine your shoes for 30 cents. Calderón never looks at the lustrabotas, his job is done, having died years ago. He only looks down at his own hands. Surrounding the monument are eight tall pine trees, the branches of these trees are too high to reach.