The nearby villages of Guano, Patate, Pelileo, and Pillaro were destroyed, and the city of Ambato suffered heavy damage.

The 1949 Ambato earthquake initially followed an intersection of several northwest–southeast-trending faults in the Inter-Andean Valley which were created by the subduction of the Carnegie Ridge.

This seismicity extends for 6,000 km (3,728 mi) along the continent's western edge and probably stems from a region of northeast-trending faulting near the Ecuadorian Trench.

Nearby faults ruptured, breaking rock strata and sending shock waves to the surface capable of bringing down entire buildings.

[9] The earthquake was preceded by a foreshock, which, although modest, was strong enough to cause chaos and force people to flee from their homes into the streets.

[10] The shaking ruptured water mains, disabled communication lines, opened cracks in the earth, reduced bridges to rubble,[10] and derailed a train.

[11] The earthquake demolished buildings in rural hamlets; closer to the nearest mountains of the Andes, landslides destroyed roads and blocked rivers.

[13] The town of Pillaro, destroyed by the quake, had more than 20 dead, and in Latacunga, 11 were killed and 30 injured; 50 homes, two churches, and the local government building were also ruined.

[14] Ecuador's President Galo Plaza Lasso flew to Ambato to take personal charge of the primary relief efforts.

The mayor of Miami along with seven other politicians began a fund-raising campaign for medical needs and clothing and coordinated the distribution of 69 kg (152 lb) of Rexall drugs.

"[4] On August 7, a plane carrying 34 rescue workers from the Shell Oil Company crashed 32 km (20 mi) from Ambato leaving no survivors.

[18] Disease began to spread in Pelileo within days of the earthquake, which prompted a team of American soldiers, acting as relief workers, to order water purification devices and DDT airdrops to cleanse the area of airborne agents.

[17] The earthquake considerably impacted a number of cities: it destroyed Guano, Patate, Pelileo, Pillaro, and one-third of Ambato.

The city is well known for its extensive market, which sells a wide array of items, including local delicacies and flowers, and for its quintas — old estates that serve as historic parks — some of which pre-date the earthquake.