Riobamba years later away from its original location (near a village named Cajabamba on the plains of San Antonio de Aguíscate). The city still retains much architecture from the Spanish period. In the Ecuadorian War of Independence Riobamba first declared independence on November 11, 1820 but was soon retaken. The city finally became part of an independent Gran Colombia in 1822, and then a separate Republic of Ecuador in 1830. On 20 November 2002, 7 people were killed and hundreds wounded when an explosion in the munitions depot at the Galapagos Brigade arsenal in Riobamba set off a series of blasts.
Simon Bolivar Youth Symphonic Band Band released its first album, titled Mambos y Fanfarria!, with a concert at the National Center for Social Action for Music. The album was recorded under the German conductor Thomas Clamor, produced by GENUIN , and includes: pieces by Ravel, Mendelssohn, and Mussorgsky, as well as by Latin American composers Castro D'Addona, Ginastera and Perez Prado. In July 2013, the SBYSB undertook its first tour of Europe that included performances at festivals and venues in France, Belgium, Netherlands, Switzerland and Spain. Orquesta Sinfónica Simón Bolívar Simon Bolivar Youth Symphonic Band The Simon Bolivar Youth Symphonic Band (SBYSB) () is the