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| Other sites of interest |
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 El
Panecillo
This
Quito geographic,
symbolic, historic and
landscape landmark,
whose indigenous name
was Yavirac, served as
a small fort during
the war of
Independence. Today it
offers an exceptional
view of the natural
and urban landscape.
It is also the site of
a monument to the
Virgin of Quito, a
replica of the Legarda
sculpture kept in the
Church of San
Francisco. The
"Olla del
Panecillo" to be
found there also is a
structure that was
used to supply water.
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 La
Ronda
This
small, narrow street
in the city center is
a pedestrian walk and
one of the city’s
most history-laden
streets. Its balconies
lend it a special
beauty.
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Quito
–that beautiful city surrounded by
mountains, some with silvered peaks-- is
doubly magic and friendly. Its colonial
treasures (paintings, sculptures and carvings)
are to be found for the most part in the
historic city center and combine European
Renaissance art with the natural-born artistic
flair of the indigenous and mestizo peoples.
It was this unique blend that led UNESCO to
declare Quito a World Cultural Heritage site.
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Access |
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Quito
is accessible by air. The airlines that fly
into the city include Aces, Aerocontinente,
Aeroflot, Aeropostal, Aerorepública, Aerosur,
Air Europa, Air France, Alitalia, American
Airlines, Avensa-Servivensa, Avianca,
Continental Airlines, Copa, Cubana de
Aviación, Grupo Taca, Iberia, Icelandair,
Japan Airlines, KLM, Lanchile, Lloyd aéreo
Boliviano, Lufthansa, Eva Air, El Al, Mexiana
de Aviación, TAME, United Airlines and Varig.
It can also be reached by land. Travelers
can enjoy very good and comfortable services
offered by some companies, while gazing at the
marvelous passing landscapes afforded by the
Andean countries.
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Tourist Attractions |
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Churches |
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 La
Compañía
The
most important Baroque temple in the city, La
Compañía dates from between the seventeenth
and eighteenth centuries. Its façade, the
wreathed columns and the various religious
symbols worked in volcanic stone are worthy of
note. It is being restored at present.
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 San
Francisco
The
Church and monastery of San Francisco are the
city’s oldest buildings, dating back to the
sixteenth and seventeenth centuries). The
temple has three naves and inside is Mudejar
in style with Baroque altars. Its stone
façade, the atrium and its Renaissance
stairway are particularly handsome.
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 The
Cathedral
This
historic temple dates back to between the
sixteenth and seventeenth centuries and has
witnessed the most important events in Ecuador’s
political life. Its three naves house
paintings and sculptures rendered by Colonial
masters and its coffered ceilings imitate the
Mudejar style. The remains of Marshal Antonio
José de Sucre rest in its interior.
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 El
Sagrario (The Tabernacle)
This
small seventeenth to eighteenth century church
standing by the Cathedral was once a part of
it. It possesses an extraordinary Baroque
portico of stone and masonry fashioned by
Legarda in 1747.
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 Santo
Domingo
The
convent and church are magnificent
constructions dating from the sixteenth,
seventeenth and nineteenth centuries. The
temple has three naves and a simulated Mudejar
coffered ceiling and houses a collection of
the Kings of Judah, a work by Quito artist,
Nicolás Gorívar. The altarpiece and stained
glass windows are Neogothic.
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 La
Merced
Famous
for its altars and stained-glass windows, La
Merced is one of the jewels of eighteenth
century architecture. It has a stone façade
and domes sheathed with glazed tiles. The
church is built in the shape of a Latin cross
with three naves and contains excellent
Baroque altarpieces and choir stalls. Also
worthy of note is its conventual cloister with
double gallery, fountain and a cross, all
carved from stone. The convent library is
extraordinarily valuable.
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 San
Agustín
A
stone cross standing before the façade of San
Agustín marks the entry to this sixteenth to
seventeenth century church. Ecuador’s
Declaration of Independence is said to have
been signed in its chapterhouse. The church’s
handsome stone portal is decorated with a
heart as its symbol. Inside, a gothic vault
and an extraordinary two-level cloister with
stone arcades and columns are worthy of
admiration.
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Museums |
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 Central
Bank Museum
This
Museum houses a collection of native pottery,
together with other objects from the
pre-Colombian period and artworks dating from
Colonial times.
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 Casa
de la Cultura (Cultural Center) Museum
Here
one can find contemporary Ecuadorian
paintings, ancient musical instruments and a
small natural history collection.
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 National
Art Museum
The
former home of the Villacis family houses the
Cultural Center museum of art and objets d’art
from the Colonial period to the beginning of
the Republican.
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