The Cuicocha lagoon was born from a river of tears coming down the slopes of Mt Cotacachi.

BBC: Scaling the Ecuadorean Andes

Taita (or father) Imbabura and Mama (or mother) Cotacachi, were believed to be gods who could move around freely.

BBC: Scaling the Ecuadorean Andes

The legend has it that when they were a couple, Mama Cotacachi would wake up covered in snow whenever Taita Imbabura visited her overnight.

BBC: Scaling the Ecuadorean Andes

In Cotacachi, 10km north of Otavalo, craftspeople have been making leather products for hundreds of years, owing to the town's position surrounded by cattle and dairy farms.

BBC: Otavalo: The land of Andean artistry

Rucu Pichincha, who was Mama Cotacachi's former lover, found out about the liaison and decided to punish her by taking away their child, Guagua Pichincha.

BBC: Scaling the Ecuadorean Andes

While Mt Cotacachi requires a technical and risky climb, the steep and tough ascent to Mt Imbabura is a great exercise for other peaks (though a guide is recommended).

BBC: Scaling the Ecuadorean Andes

It's the presence of these workshops that gives Cotacachi a rare quality in boisterous Latin America: this is a town that winds down, not up, in the evening, since so many of its residents rise early to make goods for the day ahead.

BBC: Otavalo: The land of Andean artistry