0°18′18″N 78°07′23″W / 0.30500°N 78.12306°W La Esperanza (the name is Spanish for "hope") is a town and parish in northern Ecuador in Imbabura Province, Ibarra Canton. It lies at the north-eastern foot of Mount Imbabura volcano about 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) in straight line distance south of the city of Ibarra.
La Esperanza parish had a population of 6,677 in the 2001 census and 7,363 in the 2010 census.[1] The town has an elevation of 2,448 metres (8,031 ft) above sea level.[2]
In the late 1960s and 1970s, La Esperanza became known to hippies and celebrities for the magic mushrooms which grew there in profusion.[3]