Old Town : Quito, Ecuador 2004

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Old Town : Quito, Ecuador : Trip Report

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Old Town Quito

Most of the major tourist sites are in Quito's Old Town. There you will find all the historic churches and other sites. It's been deemed a historic site by UNESCO so hopefully it'll stay preserved this way for a long time. A traveler I met referred to Quito as a "manageable city" compared to other cities in South America in that it is small, relatively clean and efficient. I was able to get around downtown Quito completely by foot so I would have to agree that it's manageable.

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Plaza del Teatro and Teatro Sucre.	Narrow steep streets.	Police in full riot gear were everywhere.
Plaza de la Indepedencia.	Close-up of the monument in the center of the Plaza.	Colonial architecture of the Empresa del Centro Histórico.
The Cathedral.	Guards outside the tomb of Mariscal Sucre.	I think this was a gift from Simon Bolivar to commemorate the death of Mariscal Sucre.
Various plaques on the walls.	Nicely painted domed ceiling.	One of the frescoes near the dome.
Behind the altar was this smaller altar of Nuestra Senora de los Delores.	The ornate main altar.	Palacio del Gobierno.
Zoomed in as I wasn't able to get closer due to access being blocked.	Signs for the upcoming Miss Universe were everywhere.	Possibly La Compañía de Jesús.
Another angle of the church.	More police on horseback.	A woman dressed in indigenous clothes.
The protesters made their way to the main plaza.	La Virgen de Quito.	Looking back down the street at La Basilica.
Another church in Old Town.	Different angle of same church.	Street scene showing an electric bus and one of the really nice bus stops.

Monastery of San Francisco

The Monastery of San Francisco was the first monastery and convent in Quito. The Museo Franciscano was inside the Monastery. The english speaking guide gave me a great tour but I was disappointed I was not allowed to take any pictures of the artifacts, just the monastery grounds.

Inside the museum was an extensive collection of religious artifacts mostly made by Ecuadorians. There were various carved wood figures which are carried in ceremonial processions, tons of paintings and a unique collection of painted alabaster. Most of the artifacts dated to the early years of the Monastery and reflected the beliefs and traditions of the Franciscan Order.

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Plaza San Francisco.
The ornate ceiling in the entrance.
The door was also quite ornate.

One of the courtyards inside.
This was the first fountain in Quito dating back to the 17th century.
Ornate ceiling inside.

Nice.
Another courtyard.

I forget the significance of this stone.
The main courtyard from the second floor balcony.
The balcony.

You can see homes on the hills surrounding the city. $Fat American posing for a \$
Fat American posing for a "postcard shot".
Plaza San Francisco with La Virgen in the background.

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Plaza San Francisco.	The ornate ceiling in the entrance.	The door was also quite ornate.
One of the courtyards inside.	This was the first fountain in Quito dating back to the 17th century.	Ornate ceiling inside.
	Nice.	Another courtyard.
I forget the significance of this stone.	The main courtyard from the second floor balcony.	The balcony.
You can see homes on the hills surrounding the city.	$Fat American posing for a \$ Fat American posing for a "postcard shot".	Plaza San Francisco with La Virgen in the background.

Church of La Basílica

Although La Basílica was begin very recently in 1926 and is technically still "under construction." It was very interesting to me as I'm a sucker for Gothic architecture and I noticed the church as I walked around the city. The interior was rather dull but the highlight was that for a small fee I got a brief tour of the inside then climbed several staircases to take in the incredible views from the top. There is one balcony that looks back at Old Town but then you cross a bridge literally walking "through" the roof of the church to the tower on the other side where you climb a couple more sets of very steep staircases (I would almost call them ladders) to the best views of the city.

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Church of La Basilica.	I'm a sucker for Gothic architecture.	The cool tower you can climb into.
Corn growing out front?	Narrow steeps street out front.	The balcony with a very nice view.
Nice entrance.	Inside of the church from the balcony.	Stained glass at the back of the church.
More stained glass.	And some more.	La Virgen can be seen clearly.
$The rickety bridge \$ The rickety bridge "through" the roof.	View of New Town.	Climbing up even higher.
More views of the modern part of the city.	Another angle.	Cool shot back towards the clock tower. Hmm, their clock is off.
Amazing panoramic view of Old Town from the balcony.

Comments From People Like You! Old Town : Quito, Ecuador 2004	add a comment
Elizabeth & Tom Bell 09-Sep-2005 15:33
`We are just now labeling our digital photo printouts from our February, 2005, trip. I couldn't remember which churches were which in our photos. Your site helped me figure all of them out. Thanks a bunch. We are probably returning to Ecuador again next February. It is a wonderful country to visit. Elizabeth`

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