Atuntaqui is a city of 21,000 inhabitants in the Imbabura Province in the northern region of Ecuador. The city is located at an altitude of 2,400 metres (7,900 ft). Atuntaqui is located just 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) from the larger city of Ibarra, north along the Panamerican Highway. Although the sector name is Antonio Ante, those who visit or have heard of it identify it more as Atuntaqui, a name that has acquired several meanings through history. According to Father Juan de Velasco, it is composed of two words - hatun (large) and taqui (drum), i.e. 'big drum'. Jacinto Jijón y Caamano identifies it as a 'land rich in truth'; González Suárez rejects this meaning and translates it as 'big barn'. Others call it 'place of the inn' or 'tightly closed town'.