Quito

The Legislative Palace of Ecuador, in Quito.

Quito, officially San Francisco de Quito, is the capital of the Republic of Ecuador, of the Province of Pichincha and the oldest capital of South America. It is the most populous city in Ecuador since the end of 2018 with more than two million inhabitants in the urban area, and more than three million in the entire metropolitan area. In addition, it is the capital of the Province of Pichincha. It is located on the Guayllabamba basin, on the western slopes of the active Pichincha stratovolcano, in the eastern part of the Andes at an average altitude of 2850 m s. no. m. The city is divided into thirty-two urban parishes and thirty-three rural parishes, which are further subdivided into neighborhoods. Quito is the political, economic, administrative, artistic, sports and cultural epicenter of Ecuador. It houses the main government, administrative and cultural organizations. In addition, most of the transnational companies that work in Ecuador have their headquarters in the city.

The date of its first founding is uncertain; The oldest records are found in the Inga farm around the year 1030 B.C. C. The Inca Huayna Cápac turned Quito into an important city in the north of Tahuantinsuyo, territory of the Inca Empire, and for various periods of time he moved between it and Tomebamba, the latter northern capital of the empire. However, the Spanish conquest of the city, on December 6, 1534, is used as its birth and date of foundation. The Escuela Quiteña is what the group of artistic manifestations and artists that developed in the territory have been called. of the Royal Court of Quito. The Quito School reached its peak of splendor between the 17th and 18th centuries, achieving great prestige among the other American colonies and even in the Spanish court in Madrid. On May 24, 1822, the independence army commanded by Marshal Antonio José de Sucre defeated the royalist forces loyal to Spain, who were under the command of Melchor de Aymerich, in the so-called battle of Pichincha. Thanks to the victory of the Gran-Colombian troops, the liberation of Quito and the independence of the provinces belonging to the Royal Audience of Quito were achieved. On May 13, 1830, the Republic of Ecuador was created, with Quito as the capital after separating from Gran Colombia.

It is the first city declared, along with Krakow in Poland, as a World Heritage Site by Unesco, on September 8, 1978. In 2018, Quito has been evaluated within the concept of world or global cities as a city beta, according to the GaWC study, Ecuador being the most globalized world city, on a par with Latin American cities such as Panama City and San José.

Toponymy

The etymology of the place name is not known with certainty. According to historian Anne Collin, this comes from a mythological turtle dove from an ancient Aboriginal legend known as a “quitus”. The city would not change its name with the arrival of the Incas and would undergo a small modification of the letter "u", for the "o" with the Spanish conquerors. However, this statement of the name Quitu is not adequate according to the researcher Mauricio Quiroz.

There is a myth of a Cacique named Quitumbe who came from the Ecuadorian coast and founded the city of Quito.

Another hypothesis defends that its name comes from the Tsafiqui and Cha'fiki languages, " “Qui” -from quitsa-, which means half and “To” or “Tu”, whose meaning is earth. Thus the word is translated as: "Earth in the middle of the World".

History

Origins

Archaeological investigations indicate that in the Inga sector, a farm located near Mount Ilaló, around the year 1030 B.C. nomadic peoples dedicated to hunting, fishing and food gathering lived there. Robert Bell, who was the first scientist to study the area, determined that the obsidian rock used for the creation of tools dated from 7080 BC. C., later its age was established at more than 12 millennia old, as it is currently recognized. Due to this, for now, it is considered the place with the oldest human settlement in the country. This first site belongs to the Ecuadorian Paleolithic period, which was characterized by the extensive use of the inhabitants of that igneous material of which about 80,000 pieces have been found.

In the year 900 a. C., during the period of regional development, the civilization of the Cotocollaos (discovered by Father Porras in 1973) was established between the Casitagua and Pichincha mountains. This society was sedentary, based its development on both agriculture and cultivation corn, quinoa, lupine, pumpkin; for the hunting, being very important the presence of the deer, the rabbit, and the camelids; as well as by trade, which reached distant places for the time, such as the coastal region of the country. Due to this, the pottery of the Cotocollao shared similarities, both in its decoration and in style, with the Chorrera and Machalilla cultures. Approximately in the year 500 BC. C. this town disappeared due to the eruptions of the Pululahua volcano.

The archaeological site of Rumipamba (1500 BC to AD 900), a village and necropolis located in the homonymous parish of the city which was abandoned on several occasions due to the eruptions of the Pululahua volcanoes and Guagua Pichincha, is one of the few remaining vestiges that belong to the Quitu culture. During this period (Integration) there is one of the most controversial chapters in the history of the city, The Kingdom of Quito, mentioned by the Jesuit Father Juan de Velasco in his “Historia del Reyno de Quito” published in the 18th century.

It speaks of a supposed Kingdom (a word that was used at that time to define the country of Quito by the Spanish) made up of the Quitu and Caras ethnic groups, which made up an extensive territory in the central and northern highlands ecuadorian The story was denied approximately a century ago by the historian González Suárez. Despite the controversies, it is known that an important confederation such as the Quitu, settled on the slopes of Pichincha and inhabited the area before the arrival of the Incas.

The Inca conquest of this region was initiated in the 15th century by Túpac Inca Yupanqui, son of Pachacútec, the founder of the Inca Empire. His son, Huayna Cápac, was the first sovereign born in current Ecuadorian territory and the one who established his residence on Cañari lands in Tomebamba, the current city of Cuenca. He would conquer the territory of the Quitus, and then through bloody wars waged in the Caranguis territories (currently Pichincha and Imbabura) he would achieve his final victory, the final battle took place in the Yaguarcocha lagoon ("lake of blood", in Quichua). The importance of the city was strategic both in the military and in the economic sphere, so from Quito the emperor Huayna Capac conquered the Caranquis. Some scholars suggest that Atahualpa was born in Cuzco or Caranqui (in the latter only a chronicler) approximately in the year 1500 AD. c.

Sebastian de Benalcázar made the Spanish foundation of the city on December 6, 1534, on the ruins of the pre-Hispanic city.

The Spanish Conquest

When the Spanish arrived in Tahuantinsuyo, the Inca empire was submerged in a civil war caused by the power struggle between Atahualpa and his brother Huáscar. The former defended his hegemony from Quito, the latter from Cuzco. Atahualpa and his army defeated Huáscar in the vicinity of the Apurimac River. He gave Huáscar a choice: live and stay with the empire of Cuzco, or die. Huáscar, outraged by the defeat, accepted death, but in 1533, after pacifying the empire, Atahualpa accepted a meeting with Francisco Pizarro, in which he was captured and days later assassinated by order of the Spanish.

The conquest of the northern Andes was motivated mainly by the rumor that Atahualpa's treasure was found in Quito. Two expeditions were formed, that of Pedro de Alvarado, from Guatemala, and that of Sebastián de Belalcázar, coming from the south. It was the latter who managed to arrive first and who, on December 6, 1534, founded the city of San Francisco de Quito on the eastern slopes of the Pichincha volcano. The city was on ashes, since days before it had been set on fire by the Inca general Rumiñahui so that the Spanish would not find anything upon arrival. In August, the town had been founded by Diego de Almagro near the city of Riobamba with the name of Santiago de Quito.

The city was established with approximately two hundred inhabitants. The limits were immediately marked out, the council was established, lots were distributed and communal areas were delimited. The founding of the city on this site seems to have responded more than anything to strategic reasons. Despite its rugged topography, its location on a plateau had advantages over the surrounding valleys, which were more conducive to urban development. This last factor was also the one that prevailed in the determination of the place by the original peoples. In the architectural field, the first monuments of the town began to be built, highlighting the start of the construction of the church of San Francisco, in 1536.

Approximately seven years after the founding of Quito in 1541, it was an important crossing point to supply more human and animal resources to the Francisco de Orellana expedition led by Gonzalo Pizarro, lieutenant governor of Quito, who would explore farther the east, in search of a land of which some legends predicted finding the "Country of cinnamon", a place covered by forests of the most expensive spice and even the cradle of El Dorado. Finally, Orellana navigating his tributaries would discover the great Amazon River on February 12, 1542. Due to this historical event, the famous phrase was created: "The Discovery of the Amazon River is Glory of Quito" 3. 4;. On January 8, 1545, Pope Alejandro Farnesio (Paul III) founded the Diocese of San Francisco de Quito in order to improve the process of evangelization of the indigenous people, which was difficult due to the extension of the territory.

Plano de San Francisco de Quito, 1735.

Due to communication and transportation problems, as well as the population explosion, the city council asked King Felipe II to create the Audiencia y Presidencia de Quito. On August 29, 1563, he signed the royal decree that gave birth to it. The jurisdiction established its geographical limits, which covered an area five times larger than that of the current Republic of Ecuador.

In the city of San Francisco del Quito, in the province of El Salvador, there are other towns and Chancilleria Real, with a president: quatro Oidores, who are also mayors of the Crime: vn Fiscal: vn Alguazil mayor: vn Lieutenant of Gran Chanciller, and the other Ministers and officers in need:

Viceroy Pedro Mesía de la Cerda granted the title of interim President of Quito on May 17, 1766 to Juan Antonio Zelaya y Vergara, who during this period exercised his responsibilities as Duke of Quito as military commander general and politician of said province

Enriched by mining and textile production, it was able to build Baroque and Neo-Mudejar temples adapted with originality to the local environment and decorated them with a great profusion of paintings and carvings, of undeniable religious educational value. It was the time of the famous Quito School, the work of Indian and Spanish miscegenation.

French geodesics of the decimal system introduced the modern rationalist spirit to Quito and used the magnificent library of the Jesuit University of San Gregorio. Quito fueled the extraordinary enterprise of the missions of Jaén and Mainas. Mariana de Jesús, saint and patriot, was born and lived in Quito. From this city came the most illustrious of the precursors of American independence, the mestizo Xavier Chusig who changed his name to Eugenio de Santa Cruz y Espejo to avoid discrimination. Espejo was the founder of Quito's first newspaper. There are also other stories like that of Manuela Sáenz, the first woman enrolled in the Bolivarian army who became the faithful companion and girlfriend of the liberator Simón Bolívar.

Independence and Greater Colombia

Representation of the meeting of the Procers of August 10, 1809, gathered in the house of Manuela Cañizares, the night before the establishment of the First Autonomous Government Board of Quito.

Some of the international events such as the Declaration of Independence of the United States in 1776 from Great Britain and the French Revolution of 1789, served as an example to the Creoles by showing them that an autonomous or even independent system of government was possible. The influences of various local events such as the visit of the French surveyors who promoted the ideas of the Enlightenment in the city, the high rate of impoverishment of the Audiencia and the growing nationalist sentiments, stimulated by the interest of Creoles from all over the continent to obtain power, were also some of the main causes, which motivated the start of the revolutionary process that ended Spanish colonialism in the city.

During Christmas dinner, on December 25, 1808, at the Chillo Compañía hacienda, owned by Juan Pío Montúfar and Larrea II Marqués de Selva Alegre, a meeting was held known as «The Chillo Conspiracy» or «La Conjura Christmas" that discussed the establishment of an Autonomous Board that would be in charge of governing the Presidency of Quito. It was attended by Juan de Dios Morales, José Riofrío, Juan Pablo Arenas, Manuel Quiroga, Nicolás de La Peña, Francisco Javier de Ascázubi and the Captain Juan de Salinas and Zenitagoya.

Months later, the plot was discovered by the then president of the Royal Court of Quito, Manuel Urríez, Count Ruiz de Castilla, because Salinas told Andrés Torresano, a priest of the La Mercéd convent, about the subject of the meeting. He was arrested on March 1, as were his companions, Juan Pío Montufar, on the 5th and Juan de Dios Morales on the 6th. A few days later they were all released because the investigative evidence was stolen.

On August 8, they met at the home of Dr. Francisco Javier de Ascázubi, where the decision was made to integrate the board on the 10th. On August 9, this group of illustrious Creoles met again at the residence by Manuela Canizares. On August 10, 1809, the act was signed that dismissed the then president of the Royal Audience of Quito, Count Ruiz de Castilla, and established the First Autonomous Government Board in the city, with authorities from Quito and with the strategy of the masks of Fernando VII that consisted of feigning loyalty to the deposed King Fernando VII with the aim of maintaining autonomy.

The refusal to adhere to the junta of Guayaquil and Cuenca, (by decision of their corregidores such as Melchor de Aymerich), caused a counterrevolution to be declared on October 5 and the capitulation to be signed on the 24th of the same month. After these events, most of the members of the junta were persecuted and imprisoned; in the Lima Barracks in Quito, the place where between August 2 and 10, 1810 they were assassinated; around 300 citizens of Quito came to rescue the heroes, facing the royal troops with the aim of achieving this goal, however in the confrontation they were defeated and killed. This massacre of 300 people meant at that time the death of 1 percent of the population of the city. A massacre with the same characteristics today would represent close to 17,000 victims. Power returns to the hands of Count Ruiz de Castilla. The viceroys of Lima and Bogotá send troops to besiege the city. In 1812, Carlos Montúfar, son of the Marquis of Selva Alegre, arrived as Royal Commissioner of Spain to pacify the rebels, but what happened was that he joined the fight that was taking place in America, this caused him to lose the victory in 1816. life; defending the ideals of freedom.

"Templo de la Patria" at the Cima de la Libertad, mosaic mural by Eduardo Kingman, which evokes the different episodes of the struggle for the independence of Ecuador.

On October 9, 1820, Guayaquil declared its independence from Spain, marking the beginning of the emancipation process. On May 24, 1822 in the so-called Battle of Pichincha, the Quito Protective Division created in Guayaquil and united with the allied liberation army under the command of General Antonio José de Sucre and Colonel Andrés de Santa Cruz, sent by the liberator José de San Martín entered the city from Chillogallo, to the south. Then, at dawn, they had to climb the slopes of the Pichincha Volcano. The Gran-Colombian division was made up of 1,500 men, which added to the 1,400 reinforcements from the Peruvian, Chilean, and Argentine divisions, complemented the 6 battalions of the Liberation Army with 2,900 troops. They would face the royalist army from the early morning of May 24, at the front were 200 Colombians from Alta Magdalena in the vanguard and British from Albión in the rear protecting the ammunition train. In the early morning there was a heavy drizzle going up the slopes of the volcano and despite the efforts of the soldiers the climb was difficult because the trails turned into swamps, then skirted the western flank of the slopes of Pichincha, to surround the royalist forces led by Melchor de Aymerich. A disputed battle ensued, in which the allied Gran-Colombian and Peruvian army achieved the liberation of the city and the independence of the provinces belonging to the Royal Court. On May 25, Melchor de Aymerich capitulated and the former Presidency of Quito became part of Gran Colombia.

Representation of the Battle of Pichincha

After the Battle of Pichincha, in June 1822, the Liberator Simón Bolívar arrived to annex the territories of the old audience to the Republic of Gran Colombia, then made up of present-day Colombia, Ecuador, Panama and Venezuela, with capital in the city of Santa Fe de Bogota. The Royal Audience becomes the Department of the South or the Presidency of Quito. On June 25, 1824, the province of Pichincha was founded, with Quito as its capital. On March 18, 1826, the Central University of Ecuador was inaugurated.

The dawn of the republic

On May 13, 1830, the Republic of Ecuador was created with Quito as its capital, after separating from Gran Colombia. Venezuelan General Juan José Flores assumes the position of first President. On August 27, 1869, the National Polytechnic School, another of the great universities of Ecuador, was founded.

QuitoOil of the painter Rafael Salas; shows the landscape of the city in the middle of the centuryXIX.

Other historical events that describe Quito in the history of this country are: the assassination of the President of Ecuador Gabriel García Moreno on August 6, 1875; the assassination of President Eloy Alfaro whose inert body was dragged through the streets of Quito and later cremated in El Ejido Park on January 28, 1912; the Julian Revolution of 1925 to rescue the state from the banking plutocracy; among others.

The city at the beginning of the 20th century

On June 25, 1908, the steam train arrived for the first time at the Chimbacalle Station located south of Quito. The construction work of the Trans-Andean Railway between Guayaquil and Quito had been started by President Gabriel García Moreno, and was finished during the time of President Eloy Alfaro. A gold nail placed in the last rail of the aforementioned station by América Alfaro, the daughter of President Alfaro, sealed the largest infrastructure work in Ecuador at that time. The arrival of the steam railway to the city produced the need to create a means of urban transport that operated between the Chimbacalle Station on top of the hill on the south side of the city, and the commercial center on the other side of the Machángara River. The Quito Tramways Company was organized in 1910 in Wilmington (Delaware) - United States, and was controlled by the Ecuadorian Corporation Ltda. of London. The QTC began construction of a line of electric streetcars in 1911 and ordered four two-axle cars from J.G. Brill in Philadelphia on February 17, 1914. The new line, between the railroad station and downtown, it was inaugurated on October 8, 1914. The QTC ordered two four-axle cars to be made by Brill in 1915 and two more with two axles the following year. The gauge of the Quito tram lines, like the steam railway, was 1,067 mm (42 inches).

For 34 years, the QTC operated the same eight trams in two services: from the Chimbacalle station to the San Diego Cemetery, and from Chimbacalle to Colón Avenue, near the La Circasiana Palace. The streetcar depot was located on 18 de Septiembre avenue and Jorge Washington. In 1921 an Ecuadorian company, Compañía Nacional de Tranvías, built a tram line on Avenida 10 de Agosto and La Prensa between Avenida Colón and the village of Cotocollao. Since the QTC owned the exclusive rights to electric traction in the city, the CNT vehicles had to be powered by gasoline engines. The CNT imported the chassis and mechanical part of its cars from the Allgemeine Elektricitäts-Gesellschaft (AEG) in Germany, but assembled the bodies in Ecuador. The Cotocollao line, also with a gauge of 1,067 mm (42 inches), opened on June 22, 1923. Around 1926 Ecuadorian investors reorganized the CNT and acquired the QTC. The new owners closed the Cotocollao gasoline line in 1928 until 1935 and the two electric tram lines in about 1948.

Railway staff on June 24, 1908, one day before the arrival of the first train to Quito.

Modern Period

In the 1930s, the inner-city upper classes moved north. Residential neighborhoods arose within the "garden city" scheme. The spaces in the center were occupied by immigrants from neighboring provinces. The old part of the city was therefore able to preserve its original layout and its colonial architecture enriched with the new contributions of the 19th and 20th centuries. By the middle of the XX century, urban space was already socially stratified.

On July 5, 1941, a conflict broke out with Peru, which produced the Peruvian-Ecuadorian War. During the days of the war with Peru, the railways headed to the south of the country, taking young volunteer soldiers to face the Peruvian enemy.

On August 6, 1960, the Mariscal Sucre International Airport was inaugurated. On March 28, 1976, on the hill of El Panecillo, the eleventh Archbishop of Quito, Pablo Muñoz Vega, inaugurated the Virgen del Panecillo. This is a statue made of aluminum, copied from an original by Bernardo de Legarda. On September 8, 1978, Quito was declared the First Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO, with the aim of preserving its colonial convents, churches and the historic center in general. For some years now, the Municipality of Quito has undertaken an architectural and social rescue plan for the Historic Center.

Starting in the 1970s, Quito was modernized thanks to the oil boom in Ecuador. It became the oil capital and the second banking and financial center of the country. Its modernity can be seen in the architecture of the northern sector of the city. One of the exponents of this development is the CFN Tower, which with its 23 floors was the tallest building in the city. Currently, the record is held by the IQON tower of the Bjarke Ingels/Uribe Schwarzkopf firms, which with its 32 floors and 132 m high promotes the vertical growth of Quito, since in previous decades it was not possible to build more than a certain limit for the operation of the airport inside the city. This was solved in 2013 thanks to the transfer of the Mariscal Sucre International Airport to the vicinity of the city, allowing the construction of more and more skyscrapers.

The expansion of the city to the north and south began during the 1980s, when the main tourist area located in the north center of the city (modern Quito) began to grow. It is currently the most developed city in Ecuador.

On March 5, 1987, there was an earthquake of approximately magnitude 7 on the Richter seismological scale and whose epicenter was located 80 km from Quito. The tremor caused damage to several buildings in the city. On December 27, 1993, the Regime Law for the Metropolitan District of Quito was promulgated. On December 17, 1995, the Municipality of Quito inaugurated the first trolleybus line in the city and in Ecuador under the name of Trolebús de Quito or Trole.

At the end of the 20th century, the country entered a period of political instability, with Quito being the main scene of the events that shook the nation. In 1997 there were several popular demonstrations in the city calling for the departure of the president at that time, Abdalá Bucaram. The most important demonstration took place on February 5, and resulted in the so-called "Night of the three presidents", raised during the night of February 6 and the early morning of February 7, 1997 in Ecuador, where Bucaram, Rosalía Arteaga and Fabián Alarcón claimed the presidency of the republic. Finally, Abdalá Bucaram was dismissed by the National Congress. Two years later, Ecuador suffered a severe financial crisis, the main problem being the "banking holiday", this situation once again created large social demonstrations in the capital that led to the coup of State in 2000, when on January 21 the Armed Forces of Ecuador withdrew their support after the members of the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador, (CONAIE), took to the streets of Quito and advanced to the National Congress, supported by by a group of colonels of the Armed Forces who acted independently of the military institution. Thus, Mahuad was also overthrown.

The city of the 21st century

From the middle of the centuryXX. north of the city was consolidated as the financial heart of the city.

By the year 2001, the city had reached 1,399,814 inhabitants, plus its metropolitan area was close to 2 million. Since 2002, the recovery of the historic center and the colonial center began. In 2002, Mayor Paco Moncayo signed a contract with the Government of Canada, through the Canadian Commercial Corporation, for the construction of a new airport, in the sector that had been considered since the middle of the century XX. The tender was awarded to the Quiport Corporation and its construction began in January 2006, during Moncayo's second term against the Municipality.

On November 29 and 30, 2002, the inauguration ceremonies of La Capilla del Hombre were held, a museum that contains the best works of master Oswaldo Guayasamín, who was an outstanding artist. It is located next to the "Museo Casa-Taller Guayasamín" the residence where the Master lived his last years. The project was conceived in 1985 by Colombian architect Luis Felipe Suárez Williams. It was a tribute to the original pre-Columbian peoples of America, who for more than 500 years suffered colonial repression and are still fighting to revive their values. Construction of the building began in 1995 and was completed in 2002, after the artist's death. It is made up of a two-story brick structure, inspired by an Inca temple with its upper part topped with a laminated copper dome. The chapel is entered through a tunnel that plays with the effects of light. Inside is "The Eternal Flame" for Human Rights and Peace. It was declared by UNESCO as a "Priority Project for Culture", and by the National Government as "Cultural Heritage of the Ecuadorian State".

Between 2003 and 2004, the MetrobusQ ecological bus line that crosses the city from north to south was built, the avenues were also widened and depressed steps and geometric reforms were built in order to give greater fluidity to traffic. By 2005, the recovery of the La Mariscal sector, formerly a red zone, was completed, creating a large number of restaurants, pedestrian streets, pools, cafes, bars and places specially adapted for the presentation of musical concerts. On July 2, 2005, a modern line of tourist cable cars was inaugurated in Cruz Loma under the name TelefériQo.

Between February and April 2005, the people of Quito were the protagonists of the "Rebellion of the Outlaws," which overthrew President Lucio Gutiérrez; protests were held at night, using symbols such as pot-banging. Subsequently, and only under citizen pressure and given the magnitude that the protests were taking, the other private media began to broadcast the facts; since the increasingly loud cry of "Let them all go" produced fear in the owners of the media and in the hegemonic political parties. Finally, on April 20, Gutiérrez fled from the Carondelet Palace by helicopter.

In the 2009 general elections, the issue of mass transportation was a transcendental point of the campaign for the Metropolitan Mayor's Office, Augusto Barrera proposed the construction of an underground Metro. The first construction phase of the Quito Metro was tendered on July 8, 2010 after the Madrid Metro delivered the final engineering studies for said phase on May 8; the execution period is 18 months and its budget is 64.8 million dollars. companies that offered to build this phase.

Construction of San Francisco Station, Metro de Quito.

On September 30, 2010, there was an attempted coup, known as "30S", by several members of the Ecuadorian National Police and the Ecuadorian Air Force. The crisis was overcome at the end of the same day, with the departure of President Correa from the National Police Hospital rescued by the Ecuadorian Army and the GOE (Special Police Operations Group), frustrating the intentions of the mutineers. The incident resulted in a balance of 5 dead and 274 injured.

The work for the new airport was delivered on October 11, 2012, and on February 19, 2013, operations at the old Quito airport were closed; That same night, the new terminal was inaugurated with a ceremony presided over by President Correa. The following day, a TAME plane officially inaugurated operations at the new airport.

The second phase of the subway construction began on January 19, 2016. The entire work will be delivered in 2020.

On October 2, 2019, a wave of protests began, after the adoption of new economic measures by the government of Lenín Moreno, which were dictated by the International Monetary Fund. The situation became more critical as the days went by, for which the government decreed a state of emergency, and even went so far as to order a curfew on October 8 and the transfer of the seat of government to Guayaquil. The main clashes took place in the streets of Quito, between the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities (CONAIE) and the police, which caused at least 11 deaths, 1,340 injuries and 1,192 arrests, causing a serious social upheaval; However, on October 13, a forum was held mediated by the UN representative in Ecuador and the Catholic Church, where the leaders of CONAIE and the government party reached an agreement that ended the conflict.

Geography

Relief and geology

Quito location in South America.

The city is located mainly on the western valleys that are part of the basin of the Guayllabamba river, which is located on the eastern slopes of the active stratovolcano Pichincha, in the Western Cordillera of the northern Andes of Ecuador, at an average altitude of 2850 m a.s.l. no. m. The city is delimited by the Casitagua volcano to the north, the EC-31 geological fault (known as Falla de Quito-Ilumbisi or Falla de Quito ) on the east, the eastern slopes of Pichincha to the west and the Atacazo Volcano to the south. Its approximate dimensions are 50 km long in a south-north direction and 8 km wide in an east-west direction.

View of the Plaza de la Independencia de Quito, surrounded by the Metropolitan Cathedral and the Presidential Palace of Carondelet.

Hundreds of millions of years ago, during the Paleozoic period, the foundations of what would become The Andes were developed when the subduction of the Nazca Plate began under the South American Plate, which belonged to the ancient continent of Gondwana. The greatest telluric activity was recorded during the Quaternary period in the Pleistocene epoch, which formed the rugged landscape of the city. In the Pliocene, several events of considerable importance occurred in the country and the continent, however, the city was not mainly influenced by them. Despite this, there were some events during that period as evidenced in some areas of the East of the city.

Later, the morphology of the district continued to transform, the glacial periods covered the region with ice, which progressively melted due to the natural climate change that the planet experienced after the last ice age, as well as a series of volcanic eruptions that caused glacial melting. This formed several marshes and lagoons throughout the territory, some of which were fed by rivers formed by the melting of the snow-capped peaks. It has been recorded that the inhabitants of that period made their homes near one of the largest lakes in the world. district called Iñaquito, which disappeared due to the drainage carried out by the Spanish upon their arrival, in order to occupy the land to use it as common areas.

Quito is located in several valleys whose irregular terrain has an altitude that oscillates between 1000 m a.s.l. no. m., in the lowest places; up to 3500 ms. no. m. in the plateaus from where the rivers that feed the Guayllabamba river are born. To the east from south to north are the valleys of Machachi, Los Chilllos, Cumbayá and Guayllabamba where the rural part of the city is located. The San Pedro River formed these valleys; This river is born in the Cotopaxi Volcano and descends from it to the Machachi Valley passing through settled areas in this valley such as Aloag at 2810 m a.s.l. no. m; the river continues its descent to the Amaguaña zone at 2550 m. s. no. m (Valle de los Chillos) in this valley the Pita and Santa Clara rivers join their course and continue their descent to the Cumbayá valley passing through towns such as Cumbayá at 2250 m a.s.l. no. m. where it also joins the Machángara river that comes from the western valleys forming the Guayllabamba river, which in turn descends to sectors such as Guayllabamba at 2192 meters above sea level and Nanegal at 1000 meters above sea level. where it will continue its descent to the Pacific coast. In the west starting from the South by the Guamaní plateau at 3100 m above sea level; the Machángara river and the Caupichu ravine go down; that form a valley in the southern zone of Quito; the river descends to sectors such as Solanda at 2850 m s. no. m. It continues its descent to the Recoleta sector at 2750 m.a.s.l. (historic center), Orquídeas 2650 m.s.n.m. and continues its descent to the Guapuló sector at 2448 m s. no. m. from there it continues its descent to the Cumbayá valley where it joins the San Pedro river and forms the Guayllabamba river.

In the north center another valley is formed in the area of Iñaquito; This valley is bordered from north to south by the Carcelén plateau that divides it from the Valley of the Middle of the World to the north and the hill of San Juan that divides it from the Valley of the Machángara river in the south; the Iñaquito sector is located at 2778 m a.s.l. no. m.; where the old city lagoon was located, this valley joins the Machángara River valley in the Gúapulo sector at 2450 m s. no. m. the river that was born in the old Iñaquito lagoon was piped but the lagoon also fed the Machángara river basin; and finally, in the north of the city, the valley of the Monjas River (Middle of the World Valley) is born, from the Pichincha volcano the river descends to the Condado sector at 2680 m.a.s.l. m. going through sectors such as Pusuquí at 2540 m s. no. m.; Pomasqui 2420 m s. no. m; San Antonio at 2380 m a.s.l. no. m. and joins the Guayllabamba river in the Perucho sector at 1520 m s. no. m.; the heights are very varied. It should be noted that there are several bodies of water that descend from the heights of the Pichincha Volcano and the hills on the western side of the city that have been piped and filled in order to build on these ravines, thus losing their natural course, however the collectors and Pipeline systems built over these bodies of water still flow into the city's main rivers. On the western slopes of the Andes mountain range that borders the southern valley of Quito is the La Libertad neighborhood, the highest in the city at 3600 m a.s.l. no. m. Foothills detached from the Andes mountain range; In the western valleys on which the urban area sits, they have formed a cloistered landscape, divided in its central part by the El Panecillo hill (3035 m.a.s.l.). To the east, the hills of Puengasí, Guanguiltagua, Itchimbía and the Calderón plateau, which also divide the eastern valleys from the western ones. As well as, the main mountainous chain belonging to the Pichincha volcano, which is located in the Andes Mountains, encloses the city in the elongated valleys; to the west with its three different elevations, Guagua Pichincha (4794 m a.s.l.), Rucu Pichincha (4698 m a.s.l.) and Cóndor Guachana. Due to this, the city has an elongated shape, whose width does not exceed 8 km; while the district occupies 12,000 km².

Climate

The city's climate corresponds to a subtropical highland climate, with many continentalized features ranging from arid and temperate to humid and cold climates; Quito is divided into 3 zones; south, center, and north; where the south is the coldest part of the city because it is the highest and rainiest area, the center is hot (Iñaquito, Guápulo); where the highest temperatures always occur and the north is temperate due to the dry conditions of the valley of the middle of the world. Quito's climate is divided into 2 seasons or stages; winter with a prolonged rainy period with a high prevalence of atmospheric and climatic phenomena such as hail, temperatures tend to drop drastically to even reach 0 °C, there is even every year at least one snowy phenomenon on the outskirts of the city in páramos located at 4000 meters above sea level, the last one recorded in April 2021. The four-month dry season is the season where the highest temperatures occur. The geological structure of the Pichincha volcano plays a major role in the city's rainfall; the air currents coming from the Amazon jungle collide with the geological structure, thus giving greater rainfall to the south of the city (the Chillos Valley and a large part of the Machángara River valley, with the exception of the historic center, which is less rainy); the historic center due to its location to the north of the valley and the presence of the Panecillo hill; it enters the range of protection of the geological body that decreases rainfall. In the case of the valleys of Cumbayá and the Iñaquito lagoon, they have a less rainy climate than the southern valleys; but not as dry as the climate of the valley of the middle of the world, achieving an average deviation of rainfall. In this area the highest temperatures usually occur; while the Valley of the Middle of the World and Guayllabamba are dry during most of the year; since they achieve a total diversion of the Amazon currents in this sector by the Pichincha geological body and dry currents from the Pacific Ocean enter to a greater extent. Giving rise to a dry and semi-arid climate with little cloudiness and precipitation. This in the end achieves that there is less cloudiness and therefore greater heat leakage; at night, mainly for this reason, they are considered temperate valleys. These valleys usually present light rains during the rainy season, however with climate change they are increasing.

Because it is at an altitude of 2,850 meters and because it is located in valleys close to the equator, Quito maintains spring-like conditions all year round. From June to September temperatures are usually warmer, especially during the afternoon, while the rest of the year the temperature is usually mild with temperatures ranging from 10 °C to 30 °C.

Due to its geographical position, the city of Quito receives extreme levels of solar radiation throughout the year, being one of the places on Earth that receives it the most, reaching up to 24 UVI (Ultra Violet Index)

Average climate parameters of Quito
Month	Ene.	Feb.	Mar.	Open up.	May.	Jun.	Jul.	Ago.	Sep.	Oct.	Nov.	Dec.	Annual
Temp. max. abs. (°C)	33.0	28.6	32.0	25.6	30.4	29.0	31.0	27.0	29.0	27.0	29.3	29.0	33
Average temperature (°C)	20.8	20.8	20.8	20.9	20.8	21.1	21.4	22.1	22.0	22.1	21.2	21.4	21.3
Average temperature (°C)	14.6	14.7	14.6	14.8	14.9	15.2	15.0	15.3	15.1	14.9	14.4	14.7	14.9
Temp. medium (°C)	9.9	10.1	10.1	10.2	10.3	10.0	9.6	9.7	9.4	9.5	9.5	9.7	9.8
Temp. min. abs. (°C)	1.0	0.0	-5.0	0.0	-1.0	0.0	0.0	0.6	0.9	1.0	0.0	0.0	-5.0
Total precipitation (mm)	106.5	117.5	171.6	161.6	124.8	45.9	19.6	24.5	76.4	98.7	128.0	92.2	1167.3
Precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm)	13	14	19	20	17	10	7	7	12	18	16	15	168
Hours of sun	167.	140	132	136	164	189	219	216	186	167.	167.	175	2058
Relative humidity (%)	80	81	82	82	80	75	67	65	70	79	79	79	76.6
Source No. 1: NOAA, World Meteorological Organization (precipitation data), Voodoo Skies (récords)
Source No. 2: Danish Meteorological Institute (sun and relative humidity)

Politics

Santiago Guarderas, mayor of Quito.

As the main city of the country, Quito is the official seat of the central government and public administration, except for the period from October 7, 2019 and for 30 days due to the state of exception in force, and It hosts the main foreign diplomatic representations. After its foundation, on December 6, 1534, the city became the capital of present-day Ecuador, when it was designated as the seat of the Royal Audience of Quito. In 1717 it was suppressed due to a war between Spain and the Quadruple Alliance and it was reestablished on November 5, 1723. During this colonial period, the president of the Audiencia of Quito resided in the Carondelet Palace. As well as since that period, the council has used the same building as its main headquarters.

After the country's independence in 1822, the city lost its capital status when it became part of Greater Colombia until 1830, when it separated along with Cuenca and Guayaquil with which it formed Ecuador. That year, the political institutions were established. The organizations that represent the five functions of the State were circumscribed in Quito from that time to the present.

Administration

Quito is the seat of the Metropolitan District of Quito. The administration of the city is exercised through the Municipality of the Metropolitan District of Quito made up of a Metropolitan Council which is made up of 21 councilors and is chaired by the Metropolitan Mayor, All these components are elected to perform these functions for a period of five years, through universal suffrage. Currently, the Metropolitan Mayor of Quito is Santiago Guarderas.

Zonal administrations of Quito

In 1993, the Regime Law for the Metropolitan District of Quito was promulgated, according to which the Municipality of the capital assumed more powers, such as transportation, which at that time was the responsibility of the National Government. Today with the 2008 Constitution, Quito as a Metropolitan District is responsible for assuming the powers of the cantonal, provincial and regional governments, thus turning it into a "city-district-region" Some of the main powers it is in charge of the Metropolitan Government of Quito are: those of the urban order of the city, cultural promotion, provision of public services, the competent tax provisions of the city, the regulation of public and private transport, the use of public goods, the approval of the budget general of the city, the establishment of the urban, district and parochial limits.

Quito is divided into Metropolitan Zones known as Zonal Administrations whose functions are to decentralize institutional bodies, as well as improve the participatory management system. Each one is directed by a zone administrator appointed by the mayor, who is responsible for executing the powers of the city in his Zone. Currently there are nine Metropolitan Areas, which are divided into parishes, 32 urban (city), 33 rural and suburban.

Urban Parishes

Territorially, the city of Quito is organized into 32 urban parishes, while there are 33 rural parishes that complement the total area of the Metropolitan District of Quito. The term "parish" It is used in Ecuador to refer to territories within the municipal administrative division.

Urban parishes of Quito
	Parish	Population (2019)	Surface (km2)
	The County	110 380	10.1
	Carcelén	67
	Ponceano	66 484	6.54
	Cotocollao	38 199	2.75
	Committee of the People	57 676
	Cochapamba	70 873
	The Conception	39 854	5,18
	Kennedy	84 900
	San Isidro del Inca	51 074
	Jipijapa	42 807	6.23
	Rumipamba	34 542
	Iñaquito	50 445	15,08
	Belisario Quevedo	58 879
	Mariscal Sucre	15 855	2.8
	San Juan	66 330
	Itchimbía	45 115
	Historic Centre	49 627	3.75
	Freedom	34 672	2.65
	Puengasí	77 436
	Chimbacalle	48 678
	The Magdalena	37 008	2.9
	Chilibulo	59 902
	La Ferroviaria	79 549
	San Bartolo	77 919
	Mena	53 617
	Solanda	95 646
	Algeria	70 982
	Chillogallo	71 885	3
	Quitumbe	97 588
	The Ecuadorian	72 932
	Guamaní	84 328
	Turubamba	66 070
	Quito	1 978 376	290
Source: INEC

Tourism

The Historical Center of Quito is one of the most visited places in the country.

Quito has historically been the most visited city in Ecuador, due to its cultural richness, being considered a "Reliquary of Art in America", as well as being the first city to be declared by UNESCO "Cultural Heritage of Humanity". In addition, the city is surrounded by the Pichincha, Antisana, Cotopaxi, and Cayambe volcanoes that make up the Andean contour.

The city experienced a sustained growth in its tourism statistics, until the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2019, the city received more than 680,000 international tourists, who came mainly from the United States, Colombia, and Spain. Tourism generated approximately 520 million dollars to the Quito economy, contributing 3% of the city's GDP. This is how the hotel sector also grew, reaching in 2019 more than 700 tourist accommodation establishments throughout the Metropolitan District of Quito: these establishments offered more than 30,000 accommodation places, distributed in 14,569 rooms.

This is how Quito has become a potential tourist destination in Latin America, demonstrating this by obtaining the "Leading Destination of South America" (between 2013 and 2019) at the prestigious World Travel Awards, considered the 'Tourism Oscars'. In addition to the city, several local tourism companies have been honored in other categories of the World Travel Awards and others contests, such as the Travvy Awards.

Tourist attractions

Virgin of the Panecillo.

Among the tourist attractions of the city, and at a height of 3,016m above sea level is the hill of El Panecillo, where is the statue of the Virgin of Quito, inaugurated on March 28, 1976, being one of the most visited viewpoints for its vision of the entire city

New is the cable car, or as it is known locally, the TelefériQo (with q of Quito), which allows access to Cruz Loma (at 4,200 m.a.s.l.), a slope to the east of Pichincha, holder of an Andean páramo ecosystem. Outside the city, to the north, in the San Antonio parish of the Quito canton, is the monument of the equator, in the middle of a true commercial area known as the Middle of the World City and administered by the Provincial Council of Pichincha.

In the Guayllabamba area, there is the Quito Zoo, which is home to pumas, jaguars, bears, monkeys, lions, deer, condors, macaws, alligators and kangaroos, among others. The valleys of Los Chillos and Tumbaco also have attractions, both for the inhabitants of Quito and for visitors. In the aforementioned valleys, you can find a warm climate that is very good for your health, as well as typical food dishes such as hornado, yaguarlocro, fritada, etc.

For those looking for adventure activities, extreme sports and adrenaline in Quito, there is the largest extreme park in Ecuador, Nayón Xtreme Valley located in the parish of Nayón in San Pedro del Valle, just 10 minutes north of Quito and the Valley of Cumbaya. It is a 5-hectare eco-tourism park where sports such as Canopy, Paintball and Rappel are practiced. There are also nature walks, bike tracks and games for all ages. A nature paradise with unique landscapes and a privileged climate within the city.

Historic Center of Quito

The Basilica of the National Vow, the Metropolitan Cathedral, interior of the Church of the Society and the Church of San Francisco.

Quito has the largest, least altered, and best-preserved historic center in America. It was, along with the historic center of Krakow in Poland, the first to be declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, on September 8 from 1978. The Historic Center of Quito is located on an area of 320 hectares, built in the shape of a checkerboard and is considered one of the most important historical complexes in Latin America. It has around 130 monumental buildings (where a great diversity of pictorial and sculptural art is housed, mainly of a religious nature inspired by a multifaceted range of schools and styles) and five thousand properties registered in the municipal inventory of heritage assets.

Walking through the Historic Center of Quito is a very pleasant experience. The Historical Center Development Company is in charge of the restoration and conservation of churches, streets and squares of this place. Several tourist sites have been implemented that invite locals and strangers to visit the Historic Center on a trip to the past, which is not only touristic but educational. For this purpose, members of the Municipal Police have been trained to serve as guides on the aforementioned tours. At night, when the lights light up the city, it is possible to take a tour of the center on tourist buses. In this part of the city is the Palacio de Carondelet, which is the seat of the Presidency of the Republic. Among the most emblematic places are:

• Basilica of the National Vote: This monumental basilica is the most important work of Ecuadorian neogothic architecture and one of the most representative of the American continent, being in turn the largest in Latin America. It was built to commemorate the consecration of Ecuador to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, held during the presidency of Gabriel García Moreno in 1873. It is 115 m tall and consists of 24 inner chapels representing the provinces of Ecuador. This sanctuary was opened and blessed by Pope John Paul II in his visit to Ecuador on January 18, 1985. The Basilica, both for its structure and style, is compared to two of the great cathedrals around the world: the Cathedral of Saint Patrick located in New York and the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris. A detail that distinguishes the work is the substitution of the classic gargolas by animals that are characteristic of the Ecuadorian fauna; in addition, there are arranged petrious rosettes that represent the flora of Ecuador. At the top of the main tower you can see the city and the surrounding mountains. The central nave of the temple has 140 m long, 35 wide and 30 high where 14 images of bronze are arranged representing 11 apostles and 3 evangelists.

• Metropolitan Cathedral of Quito: The Metropolitan and Primate Cathedral of Ecuador, due to its location in the heart of the historical city and its status as the largest temple of the city, is one of the religious symbols of greater spiritual value for the Catholic community of the city. This temple began its building in 1562, seventeen years after the obispado of Quito was created (1545). The construction of the church culminated in 1806, by the President of the Audience the Baron Héctor de Carondelet. In this church are buried the remains of Marshal Antonio José de Sucre. In addition to those of several former presidents of the Republic, as well as those of bishops and priests. The Cathedral is located on Espejo Street, on the south side of the Plaza de la Independencia.

• Church of the Society: The cover of its major temple, which is completely covered in volcanic stone, is considered one of the most important expressions of baroque architecture on the American continent and the world. Over time, this church has also been called: Temple of Solomon of South America. Father Bernardo Recio, Jesuit traveler, called her Gold mint. While Ernesto La Orden, Ambassador of Spain in Ecuador, would describe it as "the best Jesuit temple in the world». The main characteristic of the internal decoration of La Compañía de Quito are its baroque forms in carved cedar wood, polychrome and bathed with gold bread of 23 carats on red background. Above all stand the Great altarpiece, in the apse, and the richly decorated pulpit.

• Church of San Francisco: The structure is the largest architectural complex within the historical centers of all America, and is therefore known as "the Escorial of the New World". San Francisco is considered a jewel of continental architecture for its blend of different styles combined over more than 150 years of construction. Within the church there are more than 3,500 works of colonial art, of multiple artistic manifestations and varied techniques, especially those corresponding to the Quiteña School of Art, which was born precisely in this place. It also has a Franciscan library, described in the centuryXVII as the best of the Viceroy of Peru. The group precedes a homonymous square that for years supplied the city with water from its central source, and which has functioned as a popular market, as a space of military and political concentrations, and as a place of encounter and social recreation. The concavo-convexa staircase that communicates the square with the Atrium, which highlights the manierist-barroca facade of the main temple, is considered of great architectural importance in America.

Panecillo Hill

El Panecillo is a natural elevation of 3000 meters above sea level, nestled in the very heart of the city. Due to its location, it has become the most important natural viewpoint of the city, from which you can appreciate the urban layout of the Ecuadorian capital, from its historic center and towards the north and south ends. El Panecillo is crowned by a giant aluminum sculpture of the "Virgin of Quito", created by the Spanish Agustín de la Herrán Matorras, which was based on the work composed by Bernardo de Legarda, one of the most important representatives of the School quite. Composed of seven thousand different pieces, this is the largest representation of aluminum in the world. The work, inaugurated on March 28, 1975, is a 30-centimetre replica of the sculpture made in the XVIII century by Quito sculptor Bernardo de Legarda, the same one that rests on the main altar of the church of San Francisco, and which is considered the masterpiece of sculpture from the Quito colonial school.

Fashion and nightlife

Due to being 2800 meters above sea level and being in the equatorial zone, Quito is a city of various contrasts, it is a city of height but with various climate levels within it and in its surroundings; In the morning until around sunset, the weather ranges from warm-very hot-warm, this due to being in the tropical zone, until reaching the night when it gets cold and sometimes very cold, this because the climate it is modified by the mountain range called "los Andes" and whose inhabitants dress according to the weather that is present, from very light to warm. Until the early sixties, the hat was a fundamental piece of the Quito wardrobe of yesteryear. Sometimes the weather in the city behaves in a disconcerting way, the same day it can be very hot and after a few hours it rains very hard and then it becomes sunny again or even more strange and laughable for the newly arrived foreigner, in certain parts of the city it rains while in another it is observed fully illuminated by the sun. Warm clothing is still widely used today, especially at night, but during the day you can see the inhabitants of the city who come to sweat due to the heat and wear summer clothes, but in any case the clothing is according to the current times of modern western way; the average Tº both during the day with 25 °C-26 °C, and at night that take place at 15 °C-17 °C and at dawn between 10 °C-12 °C.

Bars at Foch Square, one of the most famous nightlife spots in the Ecuadorian capital.

The city's nightlife revolves around Plaza El Quinde better known as "Plaza Foch", in the La Mariscal sector. There are numerous outdoor terraces, restaurants, cafes, bars, discos and karaoke bars that open their doors when the art galleries, bookstores and craft shops in the sector close them. Another new option for social gatherings, especially for the adult and middle-aged public, is found in the historic center of the city, specifically in the revamped neighborhood of La Ronda.

According to the slang of the people of the capital, the zone of partying is known as La Mariscal. Accommodations for backpackers and foreigners from all over the world are concentrated in it, restaurants of various types for the same variety of budgets as those found in the rest of the city; the bars, cafeterias, cybers, book and souvenir shops and some nightclubs that close their doors late in the morning. Due to its varied offer, you can walk all night in La Mariscal. The restaurants in the area offer Italian, Peruvian, Mongolian, Ecuadorian, Argentinean, French, Spanish tapas, or any corner of the world food. For convenient prices you can eat very well in several of them, there are also those with a higher budget for those who want to treat themselves to luxury or go with a company to those who want to impress. You can also find small venues that serve cheap fast food along with reasonably priced beers.

The nerve center of the area is Plaza Foch where there are several restaurants and bars with terraces that fill up from the afternoon hours. As for the pure partying, it is found mainly in the "La Mariscal" in terms of location and recreational-festive offer. You can see a multitude of bars with terraces on the first floor, discos, etc., with a diversity of offers to attract people who want it, many local and foreign young people coming and going or drinking in the street half secretly and a lot of control police to avoid potential risks. In its discos you can see right-handers and some local and foreign beginners trying to dance any rhythm or Latin steps, earning in the opinion of tourists a privileged place among the best farrera cities in South America. The party begins to be very busy from Thursday.

Quito Festivals

The City of the World is the main attraction located in the suburbs of the city.

The Quito festivities are one of the most important citizen and popular festivities nationwide. This is characterized by the presence of: the town bands, platforms for all kinds of artistic expression in many parts of the city. It is celebrated from the end of November where a festive air begins to be felt in the atmosphere and culminates on December 6, the day of the Spanish foundation of the city. Visitors come from all over the country and many foreigners; On December 5, the city comes to a standstill as a result of the display of merriment, color, irrepressible joy and total partying. Concerts of various types of music are also held in the city, with many local and international artists, with general street dances, parades of various local cultural expressions and guests from all over the world, and gastronomic fairs.

The presence of chivas (vehicles representative of the coastal culture, devoid of windows and doors) that are used to carry out city-tours, which transport people who dance to the sound of a town band, also stand out. Said vehicles are authorized by the City Council to circulate through the city on a temporary basis after a mechanical and safety review.

Demographics

Panoramic view of the city.

The population of the city of Quito is 2'011,388 inhabitants according to the projections of the National Institute of Statistics and Censuses (INEC), being the second most populous city in the country, behind Guayaquil; while the population of the entire Metropolitan District of Quito is 2'781,643 inhabitants, being the most populous canton in the country. However, the limits between the city and the metropolitan district are easily confused, due to urban territorial expansion since the end of the XX century, which has formed a conurbation with the nearby rural parishes, both from the Metropolitan District of Quito, and from other neighboring cantons. It is estimated that the total population of the Quito conurbation is currently around 3 million inhabitants.

Ethnic composition

The ethnic population of the city is marked by a diverse aspect, in the fact of the various ethnic groups that coexist in the same city, where mostly people of mixed race live together with Native Americans. This last ethnic group has meant a huge increase along with the Asian and the Arab since 2003.

According to the figures presented by the National Institute of Statistics and Censuses (INEC) in the census carried out in 2010, the ethnographic composition of the Quito canton is:

• Mestizos (82.84%)
• Indigenous peoples (6.8 per cent)
• White (6.7%)
• Afro-Ecuadorians (3.1 per cent)
• Amount (1.2%)
• Other (0.3%)

Quito Neighborhoods

The neighborhoods of Quito are the smallest political and sometimes administrative division of the city and the Metropolitan District of Quito. The inhabitants of the city have traditionally divided it into four large segments, which largely cover its territory, these are: «el norte», formed in its northern limit by the parishes of Cárcelen and el Condado and in the austral by Belisario Quevedo and Mariscal Sucre; «the center», made up of the Historic Center, San Juan and Itchimbia; "el sur", in which Magdalena, Chilibulo and Puengasí are found at its northern end and Guamaní and Turubamba at its southern edge; and the «valles», which despite not being part of the city of San Francisco de Quito, make up the Metropolitan District.

The urban parishes that make up this unofficial division are usually subdivided into neighborhoods. In turn, these -because they are at different altitudes- can acquire the term of low or high as appropriate, without being renamed for it; Thus, a neighborhood like El Batán, depending on the place to which the interlocutor refers, can be classified as "high" or "low" (this practice is only used in places whose buildings are on slopes. Generally, the inhabitants are guided by This practice and therefore the geographical limits of a certain neighborhood are subject to the opinion that each citizen has about it, since currently there is no specific demarcation determined by the Municipality of the city.

South Zone

View of some neighborhoods south of the city.

The south of the city is characterized by being an area of high national immigration in continuous growth, renewal and high commercial activity. In the parish of Chillogallo, one of the largest and most dense in the capital, businesses proliferate everywhere, especially those offering all kinds of services. One can taste from the traditional roast chicken, to typical dishes from all over Ecuador such as: guatita, ceviche, seco de chivo or fritada. Here is located one of the largest industrial parks in the city, the Chimbacalle Train Station, the new bus station in the city and the largest shopping center in Ecuador, among other notable things. It is important to highlight that in the south of the city are the green areas and the largest urban parks in the city and in the country, such as the "Las Cuadras" of 24 hectares, "The Metropolitan Park of the South" of 672 hectares, and many others.

Downtown Area

In the center of the city, the streets are narrow because it is the site where the city was born at its dawn, which is why access to vehicles is restricted during weekends, but it is served daily by the trolleybus public transport. This beautiful urban space from the colonial era is very striking and considered "the jewel in the crown", especially its large churches, convents, museums. The presidential house known as the Palacio de Carondelet is also located here. The municipality of Quito has developed a major restoration plan for the colonial part of the city also called "El Centro Histórico" especially because it is a tourist area par excellence with a varied social-cultural-architectural richness and maintaining that atmosphere of yesteryear that its inhabitants have managed to preserve.

Typical colorful sweeps of Quito views from El Panecillo.

The area bordering the north with the historic center has developed a series of buildings and elevated towers, the tallest of which is the Gothic-style Basilica del Voto Nacional, with a height of 36 floors, and with an exceptional viewpoint Quito. Buildings such as the CFN Tower, the Corpei Tower, the Diez de Agosto Tower, the Benalcázar Mil Building or the Pichincha Provincial Council Tower are some of the Quito buildings that exceed twenty floors, especially due to the "municipal ordinances that they limit the height of construction throughout the city", this is why the international airport was located within the city until February 2013.

North Zone

Many of the northern neighborhoods of the city are residential in nature where the new generations, the wealthiest and businessmen chose to live, it is also where the financial and banking center is located, headquarters of many multinational companies and embassies. The headquarters of many of the main banks that operate in Ecuador are located in this part of the city, as well as other entities of transcendental importance such as the Quito Stock Exchange, the Central Bank of Ecuador, the Internal Revenue Service, the Superintendency of Banks, among others.

This is where you can appreciate the most representative of current Ecuadorian architecture, represented in many buildings erected for banking, commerce, entertainment, shopping, etc. Most of these are located around an urban park well known as "La Carolina" of 67 hectares. In this sector of the city, it is where you can clearly appreciate the strength of tourism with which it benefits, many of the passers-by are of foreign origin, being able to appreciate the most dissimilar points of origin of the illustrious visitors.

And it is precisely this part of Quito, where a great "pink zone" in which multiple bars, cafes, discos, casinos, karaokes, restaurants, hotels, etc, etc are concentrated, commonly known as "La Mariscal", in which its native inhabitants, foreign residents and tourists from all over The world enjoy multiple outdoor terraces, to enjoy the city, its many and varied artistic manifestations, while tasting the gastronomy or simply having a drink.

Valleys and Suburbs Area

View of Cumbayá, parish outside the urban perimeter, mainly inhabited by people of high social class.

The last and most notable area of expansion of the city is located in the suburban regions that are almost all merged with the urban administrative area of the city, that is, they form a real and physical part of the city of quit. This develops mainly around the valleys of Los Chillos, Tumbaco, the Calderón plateau; as well as the Pomasqui valley (middle of the world), the communities of Amaguaña, Puembo, among others, and even the urban area of Sangolquí, which is a separate administrative area but strongly linked and dependent on Quito. In all these regions, they are characterized mainly by being residential areas for people who work in other areas of the city, but they also house shopping centers, universities, parks, institutions, industries, among others.

Throughout the capital city the term "Veci""Vecina" or "Neighbor". This terminology was used in the popular neighborhoods of Quito since before the 50s; and it is part of the cultural behavior of Quito society, which is why people from different strata relate to each other through this word.

Transportation

Interior of Mariscal Sucre International Airport.

Aerial

The Mariscal Sucre International Airport that serves the city of Quito was inaugurated on February 20, 2013 after 7 years of construction as a replacement for the Old Mariscal Sucre International Airport, inaugurated in the 1960s and because it is located in the middle of the city had a high risk for it. It is located on a plain in the eastern suburbs of the city, in the town of Tababela, 25 kilometers from the Historic Center. It has a 4,100-meter runway, the tallest control tower in Latin America, 41 meters high, and a cargo terminal with several cold rooms for the export of flowers and other perishable products. It is located in the Tababela parish to the east of the Metropolitan District.

Access to the Airport is through the Alpachaca Connector, which connects with the E28C road, also known as Interoceánica, another access is the E35 road that is used for cargo transportation. At the moment, 2 more access roads were built, the Integration Route to the Valleys or "LIVE Route" by the Municipality of Quito, which was inaugurated on December 12, 2014, and the Collas-Nuevo Aeropuerto Route, in charge of the National Government, which was inaugurated on August 1, 2014.

Terrestrial

Mobility with a private vehicle within Quito, as in any large Latin American city, is complicated. Due to the geography of the city, which stretches from north to south, being approximately 50 km long and only 8 km wide, the vast majority of Quito's major avenues run from north to south. There are two large avenues that flank the city from north to south: Mariscal Sucre avenue to the west and Simón Bolívar avenue to the east, through which it is faster to cross the city.

The city has several traffic interchanges that facilitate transit. Among the most important is the El Trébol interchange, located in the center of the city, which connects the center with the south and the Chillos valley. Also the Miravalle interchange, through which Simón Bolívar and Interoceánica avenues cross, connecting the north center of the city with the Tumbaco valley, the north and south of the city. Also the Carcelén Interchange, which connects the city with the North Pan-American Highway. The interchange of the avenues 10 de Agosto, Eloy Alfaro and Francisco de Orellana in the center-north of the city, connecting the sectors of La Mariscal and Iñaquito. One of the most important interchanges in the urban area is La Y, which connects the avenues América, 10 de Agosto, La Prensa, Brasil and Gaspar de Villarroel. Some cross-sectional avenues are being projected and executed in the center, south, and north of the city with connectivity to the two eastern valleys of Quito, with which the city will effectively grow towards its conurbations, and then the area of the city will triple the current. In these same valleys, avenues, highways, highways, interchanges, etc. are already under construction, preparing the city, Greater Quito, for the challenge of growing in the next five years towards those latitudes.

Quito Metro Stations.

The city's public transportation is managed by the Integrated Metropolitan Transportation System, better known by its acronym SITM-Q, which operates all of the city's mass transportation systems, both public and private. The SITM-Q is made up of the Quito Metro, the Metrobus-Q system and the bus network.

Quito Subway

For the year 2022, the inauguration of the first line of the Quito Metro is expected, which will operate in integration with the Quito Integrated Public Transport Network. Initially, it will have a single line of 15 stations, which will run through the city from Quitumbe (south of the city) to El Labrador, at the southern head of the current Bicentennial Park (north of the city), will have a duration of travel of 34 minutes. The Metro is planned as the main system of the public transport service in Quito, which will have a great qualitative leap.

MetrobusQ System

View of the exclusive lane and a unit of the Trolebus System in Quito.

The Metrobus-Q System is made up of 5 lines (called corridors) with high-capacity brt buses both in the urban area of the city. The network is complemented by a system of pre-established stops, transfer stations and terminals. A new brt corridor is being planned for the north of the city, Transversal Corridors to connect the western areas with the eastern ones, and Corridors for the Metropolitan Areas (for example: Cumbayá, Tumbaco, Valle de los Chillos, Calacalí, Mitad del World) The new corridors must be ready before 2019, the year in which the Quito Metro is inaugurated. The Metrobus-Q System also has feeder routes with conventional buses.

• Troncal Central Trolebus: Inaugurated in 1995, the Trolebus is the most important among all the corridors as it was the first fully public mass transport system planned in the country. Throughout its more than 30 km it runs the entire longitudinal axis of the city through the avenues 10 August, Guayaquil, Pedro Vicente Maldonado, Lieutenant Hugo Ortiz and Quitumbe Ñan; connecting the urbe from the northeast, at the Carcelén Terrestrial Terminal, to the south end, at the Quitumbe Terrestrial Terminal. The Trolebus Corridor has 36 stops along its route; four of them are of an integrative character, that is to say they serve as a connection between the trolleybus system and the feeding buses that are heading towards the peripheral neighborhoods; one is intermodal, which connects with other SITM-Q corridors; and finally, 31 stops are of a regular character, that is to say they only serve as boarding and boarding platforms.

Ecovia at San Martín station, near Plaza Argentina in the north of Quito.

• Troncal Oriental Ecovía: Inaugurated in 2001, it was the first runner of the Metrobus-Q System to occupy left-door units and diesel engine. Retract much of the city's flank-oriental through the avenues 6 December, Great Colombia, Pichincha, Napo And Pedro Vicente Maldonado; connecting the urbe from the north, at the Rio Coca station, to the south end, at the Quitumbe Terrestrial Terminal and the Guamaní Sur Ecovia Terminal. Its main longitudinal service extends to the peripheral sectors through a system of urban buses called "food", similar to the Trolebus.

• Troncal Occidental Metrobus: It was inaugurated in 2005, it runs the city from the Quitumbe Terrestrial Terminal to the south to the La Ofelia Terminal in the north of the city, through the avenues Diego de Vásquez, Press, America, University, Mariscal Sucre. Previously this troncal was divided into 2 lines known as "North Central Corridor" and "West South Corridor". It is the only Metrobus-Q line whose operation also includes private participation. The old "North Central Corridor" operates from La Ofelia Terminal to the Playon of the Marin, while the former "West South Corridor" operates from the Major Seminary Station to the south end, at the Quitumbe Terrestrial Terminal.

Bus system

The Conventional Transport Network of Quito is made up of 135 public transport lines operated by 2,624 urban buses, which according to the municipal ordinances cannot have more than 10 years of service. These current lines and fleets are in the process of restructuring, to the extent of the progress of the Integrated Transportation Network. In the city of Quito there are three types of urban transport: standard buses, which constitute the majority; the special buses, which serve the integrated transport systems; and the inter-parish buses, which link the urban area with its rural districts. It is easy to differentiate them according to the color they display: blue for standard buses, red for special ones, and green for interparroquial ones.

Land Terminals

Quito has two bus terminals that connect the city with the rest of the country, a large one in the south of the city called "Quitumbe", due to the sector in which it is located, and which receives and boards passengers bound for the central and southern provinces of the country. And the smaller Terminal Terrestre de Carcelén, which does the same with the buses that travel to and from the northern provinces, with greater attendance to and from Villa de Ibarra.

Bike system

Ciclovía de Quito in Parque La Carolina.

Quito has more than 60 kilometers of bike paths, the first bike path implemented in 2004 (called Ciclo-Q) runs through the linear parks of the South of Quito, the Historic Center and Amazonas avenue to the La Y del Trole station, also that year the Ciclovía "Interuniversitaria" which through Carrión avenue connects from east to west the Central University of Ecuador with the Catholic and Salesian Universities and the National Polytechnic School. In 2012, with the start of operations of the BiciQ system, there was a great expansion of the network of bicycle paths; in the following avenues: Av. de la Prensa, Av. Gerónimo Carrión, Av. Diego de Almagro, Av. Luis Cordero, Av. Antonio de Ulloa, Av. Veracruz, Av. Atahualpa, Blvd. Naciones Unidas and Av. Mariana de Jesus.

Quito also has recreational bike lanes in the Lineales del Sur Parks, El Ejido Park, La Alameda Park, La Carolina Park, Itchimbía Park, Guanguiltagüa Metropolitan Park, and the Chaquiñan de Cumbayá-Tumbaco, which is a 28-kilometre ecological trail Created on an abandoned railway line. In addition, the Catholic University has an internal network of bicycle paths, called CicloPuce.

In 2012, the Quito City Hall implemented a public bicycle rental system called BiciQuito (formerly known as BiciQ). unique, distributed in 30 stations located in places close to the points of greatest influx or commercial, banking, tourist and student interest.To access the system, users must register on the website www.biciq.gob.ec and after paying $25 per year and sign a good use contract, you are granted a user card, which is used to use the bicycles from 7 in the morning to 7 at night, 365 days of each year. the so-called "Hipercentro" between the Historic Center and the "La Y" sector and it is being studied to expand the system towards the South and North of the city. minutes and must be delivered at any station, if the user has already completed that time and has not arrived at his destination must wait 10 minutes before being able to access the system again.

Parks

According to the recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO), each territory must have at least 9 square meters of green spaces per inhabitant. In the country, only 10 cantons exceed this recommendation: Mera (Pastaza), Huamboya (Morona), the Metropolitan District of Quito, Mocha (Tungurahua), El Pan (Azuay), Pablo Sexto (Morona Santiago), Sigchos (Cotopaxi), Paute (Azuay), Quero (Tungurahua), Saquisilí (Cotopaxi).

According to a 2010 study by the National Institute of Statistics and Censuses, Quito has 20.4 square meters of green areas per inhabitant, the third highest in the country. The parks that are located in the Metropolitan District of Quito, in addition to offering ample spaces for sports and recreation, help to improve the quality of life of all the inhabitants in the middle of the urban system, and with the main objective of becoming a green City.

La Carolina Park

Vivarium of La Carolina Park.

The park is framed by Shyris, Eloy Alfaro, Amazonas and United Nations avenues. With 67 hectares of land, it is one of the largest urban parks in the middle of the city in the Metropolitan District, the country and South America. During the week it welcomes regular athletes who enjoy the calm atmosphere that the place offers in the mornings, while on weekends it receives approximately 50,000 people. It has an extensive infrastructure that includes: soccer fields, basketball courts, tennis courts, volleyball courts, an athletic track, a bicycle circuit, a skating rink, a track for bicycle stunts, children's playgrounds, sports exercise areas, an exhibition center, restaurants, socialization centers, five lots for vehicle parking, etc.

La Carolina Park, located in the Iñaquito sector, was born as a product of the municipal expropriation of the La Carolina farm in 1939. The modern design was carried out by the Municipal Planning Department in 1976. Pope John Paul II led A massive mass was held in this park during his visit to Ecuador in 1985. To commemorate this event, a giant cross was built on the site where the ceremony took place.

Other attraction sites located within the park are:

• Nautical Park: The lagoon nestled in the southeast sector of the land is one of the main attractions La Carolina has. You can enjoy a ride on a pedal boat or on a water bike.

• Botanic Garden of Quito: in this oasis you can appreciate and discover a wide variety of orchids and other species of flora that inhabit the foothills of the Ecuadorian Andes. In the green areas surrounding the Orchidary, there is a representation of the different Andean environmental scenarios.

• Ecuadorian Museum of Natural Sciences: this area was created to make known and understand the natural wealth that is distributed throughout Ecuador. It has several botanical, paleontological and mineral samples from the country.

• Interactive Park of Mechanical Dinosaurs: models in natural size and with movement, of secondary and megamammal dinosaurs of the tertiary era.

• Interactive Museum of Science and Invento: museum in which the visitor interacts with the exposed objects, discovering the physical and chemical properties of the matter.

• Vivarium: exhibition of live reptiles and amphibians, with recreation of their habitats. Includes exotic species such as cobra, boa, equis, etc.

• Ciclovia: complete circuit to ride with bicycles on paved roads and that allow you to visit the park.

• Establo: rental area and horseback riding through the park.

Guangüiltagua Metropolitan Park

View of the Cotopaxi Volcano from the Guangüiltagua Metropolitan Park.

It is located in the northern part of the District, surrounded by Guanguiltagua, Arroyo Delgado and Analuisa streets. With an extension of 557 ha, it is the main lung of the city of Quito. The park is located at 2,890 to a maximum of 2,980 m s. no. m. and registers an average temperature of 11 °C. Surrounded by trees and gigantic works of art, visitors can enjoy nature breathing fresh air just a few meters from the city. In the Ashintaco ravine located in the northeastern sector of the park, you can observe more than ten species of hummingbirds and seventy species of birds that nest in the place, some of which are in danger of extinction. The park also offers a stone path and different trails for lovers of mountain biking and Downhill. Every weekend approximately 20 to 30 thousand people arrive at the Quito Metropolitan Park to camp, have a picnic, and many other activities. The park is a natural viewpoint due to its exceptional view to the west (the city itself) and to the east (its extension into the valleys, especially Cumbaya).

Bicentennial Park

It is a park located where the old Mariscal Sucre Airport was established and was opened to the public on Saturday, April 27, 2013, it is the second largest park in the city (after the Metropolitan Park).

In the coming months, the arborization phase will begin, which includes the planting of 2,800 native species of trees, corresponding to the first stage. 89% of the park area will be green and will be a lung for the city. In addition to creating forests, wetlands will be formed to house various species of wild fauna and flora. This natural environment will be complemented by several water sources for the recreation of visitors. Temporary nurseries, permanent trees, ornamental gardens, walkways, courts, an athletic track, children's games, temporary graphics, accesses and parking lots will be established in the park.

El Ejido Park

Parque El Ejido in Quito during El Ciclopaseo.

The park is delimited by the avenues Patria, 6 de Diciembre, Tarqui and Guayaquil street. The Ejido marks the division between old Quito and modern Quito, inhabiting around 1,470 species of native plants such as cholán, alder, chamburo, palm trees and guabos.

Ecuavoley matches are played every day in this park, attracting the attention of the public. In addition, people gather to enjoy the traditional popular games of the coconuts whose objective is to remove them (large metal balls) from the interior of a circle drawn on the ground and the opponents must be eliminated with a pepo (blow)..

Also on weekends, and sheltered by the imposing Puerta de La Circassiana (an 8-meter-high stone arch with Renaissance engravings that in the past was the entrance door to the Palace of the same name), exhibitions are held where you can buy works of art, silver jewelry, ponchos, jackets, vests, among other novelties.

La Alameda Park

It is located in the center of the city, within a triangle comprised by Gran Colombia avenue and Sodirio and Guayaquil streets. La Alameda is the oldest park in Quito, it was formerly known by the Indians as chuquihuada (which in Quichua means spearhead). It is located in the San Blas parish and occupies 6 ha. This is a place that keeps a lot of nostalgia and memories. The School of Fine Arts of Quito operated there until the beginning of the last century in the midst of an almost mystical atmosphere that marked the art of the time. There is also the Quito Astronomical Observatory built in 1864 during the presidency of Gabriel García Moreno. In its time it was the best equipped in South America and still uses the observation instruments of that time.

Currently visitors come to the park to rest in the place, or use small boats to navigate the small lake. In La Alameda you can still find photographers who take pictures of visitors using old technology cameras. At the southern entrance to the park, the monument to Simón Bolívar, the Liberator of America, was inaugurated on July 24, 1935, an act that constituted a true political, social and cultural event in the country. Here you can find trees of important dimensions that have resisted time and the invasion of cement. Botanical researchers recorded an important variety of native and foreign species such as acacia, palm, cedar, ash, pumamaqui, yaloman, myrtle, eucalyptus, and magnolia.

Río Grande Linear Park

This park is located south of the city of Quito, on Cardenal de la Torre avenue in the Solanda sector. It has an area of approximately 20 ha, and offers various distractions for its visitors such as a bicycle path, a pedestrian route, recreational and sports areas, mazes, sculptures, a pool, a reflecting pool, furniture, sanitary batteries, etc.

Itchimbía Park

Itchimbía Park Crystal Palace.

It is located on the top and on the slopes of the Itchimbía hill which is located on the eastern limit of the Historic Center of Quito, surrounded by the Machángara river and the neighborhoods of El Dorado, La Tola and San Blas. The park is at 2900 m a.s.l. no. m., and is considered a natural viewpoint due to the wide visibility of the city from its four cardinal points.

The recreational space has a bicycle path, a pedestrian route, a small square and a parking lot for 150 vehicles. Every year between the months of July and August, the Kite Festival (kites) is celebrated, in which these ancient Chinese toys can be seen flying through the skies, favored by the strong winds of the summer in the capital.

Inside the park, and as its main point, is the Itchimbía Cultural Center, popularly known as Palacio de Cristal; an enormous iron and glass construction that in republican times (end of XIX century and beginning of the XX century) served to house a popular Historic Center market. The original design belongs to the French engineer Gustave Eiffel (the same one who designed the Eiffel Tower - Paris); the building was dismantled from its original location, recovered in specialized workshops of the municipality and taken piece by piece to be reassembled on the top of the thousand-year-old Itchimbía hill to house exhibitions of all kinds throughout the year.

The largest open-air music festival called Quito Fest also takes place in August of each year.

Circassian Park

It is located on the southwestern corner of 10 de Agosto and Colón avenues, and is part of the Palacio de La Circasiana, a small palace built by Manuel Jijón y Larrea at the end of the century XIX, which was the first Neo-Renaissance civil work of monumental proportions erected in Quito. In the vicinity of the palace, Jijón built two more buildings: a bookstore with 40,000 titles and a museum building, which continue to serve the city.

In the 1930s, the structure could be seen in all its glory. The whole house was surrounded by well-kept gardens, a large exterior wall and an arched doorway, which isolated it from the entire city.

The Circassian Gate (The Centaurs' Farewell) was one of the entrance gates to the Chillo Jijón hacienda and was ceded by the family to the city. Today, this arch is one of the attractions of El Ejido Park. The property is now managed by the Fondo de Salvamento (Fonsal), which turned the entrance of the residence into a beautiful park adorned with fantastic figures of unicorns.

El Arbolito Park

It is delimited by the avenues 12 de Octubre, 6 de Diciembre and Tarqui, it is also next to the House of Ecuadorian Culture. Many consider this small green space as part of its neighbor: El Ejido, although in reality it is a place designed much later.

Until the middle of the XX century, the only football stadium in the Ecuadorian capital. When the Atahualpa Olympic Stadium was built in Iñaquito, the property was ceded to the municipality and they turned it into the recreational space that we admire today.

This park is also known for being the meeting point for Ecuadorian indigenous communities on their marches to the Carondelet Palace. At the festivals held by the Fundación de Quito every December, the place is transformed into a large patio of "Comidas típicas del Ecuador".

Parque El Arbolito.

La Armenia Metropolitan Park

It has an extension of 48 hectares, within the park we can find a considerable variety of flora and fauna species. You can see the different species of birds such as hummingbirds and doves. It is the perfect place to share with pets, play sports, hiking, yoga, camping and also in a place of natural recreation. The main users are the inhabitants of the Los Chillos Valley: Conocoto, Alangasí, Guangopolo, Pintag, Amaguaña and La Merced. The Park has trails and bike lanes.

Cuscungo Metropolitan Park

It has an extension of 12 hectares. 250,000 inhabitants of the parish of Puengasí, from the neighborhoods of San José de Monjas, Jardín del Valle, and Alma Lojana are its users. The most important benefit for the community is the recovery of the Cuscungo creek landfill as a reforested green space, with sports areas, walkways, bike lanes and furniture for the enjoyment of the inhabitants of Quito. The park has trails and bike paths with an extension of approximately 1.6 kilometers.

Chilibulo-Huayrapungo Metropolitan Park

It has 320 hectares and is located in the parish of Chillogallo. It crosses several sectors of the south of the city from La Magdalena, crossing Mena Dos to Lloa. It is located approximately 4.5 kilometers from Mariscal Sucre, entering through Mena Dos via Vía a Lloa.

Southern Metropolitan Park

It has an area of 620 hectares and is located south of the city in the Quitumbe parish, between Simón Bolívar avenue, El Troje sector, approximately 7 kilometers from the Simón Bolívar interchange and the General Rumiñahui highway. The residents of Santa Rosa, Quitumbe, Chillogallo, Amaguaña, the Valley of Los Chillos, Guamaní, Guajaló, Músculos y Rieles, Buenaventura, San Juan de Turubamba, Cuapichu, Cataguango, among others, come to this park.

Las Cuadras Metropolitan Park

It has 24 hectares and is located south of the city, on Rumichaca avenue and Matilde Álvarez street, Quitumbe sector. Neighbors from the southern neighborhoods of the city such as Solanda, Quitumbe, Guajaló, Oriente Quiteño, Civil Registry, Santa Rita, Las Cuadras and Chillogallo come to this site.

Other important parks

It is also worth mentioning the names of other important urban parks that are part of the city of Quito: Parque Inglés, Parque de la Mujer y el Niño, Parque Julio Andrade, Parque Lineal del Machángara that runs parallel to the river of the same name, YAKU - Water Museum-Park, Monteserrín Park, La Moya, La Magdalena Park, among others.

Education

The city has an excellent infrastructure for education, both public and private. Public education in the city, as in the rest of the country, is free up to the university (third level) in accordance with the provisions of article 348 and ratified in articles 356 and 357 of the National Constitution. Several of the educational centers of the city have great prestige. The city is within the Sierra regime, so its classes begin the first days of September and after 200 days of classes they end in the month of July.

Higher Education

The city and its surroundings have several undergraduate and graduate universities. Since its foundation Quito has been the academic and university capital of the country, the foundation of universities of Catholic congregations such as Santo Tomás de Aquino and San Gregorio defined the course of what is today the Central University of Ecuador and the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador. Ecuador. Likewise, during the presidency of the illustrious conservative Gabriel García Moreno, the National Polytechnic School was founded, while other higher education institutions were founded later, such is the case of the Army Polytechnic School, the University of the Americas (part of the Red Laureate), San Francisco University, the Salesian Polytechnic and the University of Los Hemisferios (UDH).

Quito has three of the five universities with the largest research and development network in the country, the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, the Universidad San Francisco de Quito and the Escuela Politécnica Nacional; ranking first, third, and fourth, respectively. The largest university campus is located within the Central University of Ecuador. Only three universities in the city are public (UCE, EPN and ESPE), the rest of the universities are private and, depending on each one, their enrollment and pensions are usually comfortable or high, as is the case with USFQ.

Quito has almost 78% of the national curricular offer, since together among all the universities it has studies in Medicine, Architecture, Engineering, Commerce, Economics, Jurisprudence, Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Technologies, Chemical Sciences, Art, Education, Philosophy, Theology, Sociology, Sports, Cinema, Music, Electronics, Robotics, Anthropology, Veterinary Medicine, Environmental Sciences, Agricultural Sciences, Mines and Oil, Dentistry, Design, Communication, Languages, Gastronomy, Hospitality, History, Psychology, Geology, Politics, Liberal Arts among many others. The rest of the national curricular offer turns out to be relatively close to the city since it is mostly concentrated in the City of Knowledge in the bordering province of Imbabura, where careers such as Nanosciences, Polymers, Renewable Energies, Biomedicine, Digital Sciences, Sustainability, among others, are offered. others; careers such as Aeronautics, Naval Engineering and Forest Sciences are somewhat far away, in Guayaquil and Tena respectively; and Biology and Evolutionary Research in Galapagos.

The university infrastructure in Quito is generally optimal, with certain exceptions, such is the case of the Central University of Ecuador which is severely deteriorating due to lack of investment in it, some faculties of this university date from for more than fifty years in which there has been no remodeling or timely intervention. However, the rest of the city's universities have fairly well-preserved campuses, some of them very modern and avant-garde, eclectic and classic. The university with the largest number of campuses is the Universidad de las Américas with four (Granados, Queri, Colón and Udlapark). Along Avenida 12 de Octubre and Isabel la Católica are the campuses of four universities (EPN, PUCE, UASB and UPS-Q).

Culture

Representative pieces of the National Museum of Ecuador.

Museums

The city of Quito has the largest number of museums in the country: there are more than 60, making it the fundamental axis of Ecuadorian culture, these attract many tourists and also bring an economy to Quito, those of art and culture Interactive museums to the South and Center of the city abound in the Historic Center, painting museums such as the Museo Capilla del Hombre in the north. Among the most representative, we have:

• National Museum of Ecuador: It is considered the largest museum institution in the country, since it maintains the largest collection of ancestral goods, variety of paintings by different artists and eras, as well as vases and ceremonial figures from various periods of Ecuadorian history. This museum is housed in the Mirror Building of the Casa de la Cultura Ecuatoriana, next to the Palacio Benjamín Carrión. It exhibits the most important pieces of Ecuadorian art in its rooms of Archaeology, Gold, Colonial Art, Art of the Republic and Contemporary Art. It also has several Temporary Rooms, open with Ecuadorian and universal art with individual and collective exhibitions of an itinerant character. It is divided into different areas, the first would be the Archaeological Gallery where artifacts dating from 11 000 a. C. Gold Court, representing the indigenous groups who worshiped the sun one, in doing so, used gold to create masks, ornaments in the chest, and figures to represent the sun. Colonial Art Gallery, which contains pieces from 1534 to 1820 and the Republican Art Gallery, you can see this transition. The Museum of Musical Instruments is located at the National Museum of the Central Bank of Ecuador.

Interior of the City Museum.

• Museum of the City: In 1998, the Quito City Council decided to recover the oldest civil building in the city, the Old Hospital San Juan de Dios, dating from 1565, to turn it into a museum that narrates the history of the city from the perspective of everyday life. Through the seven permanent exhibition halls you can know the history of Quito, from ancient societies to the centuryXX., especially visibilizing the anonymous characters that contributed to the construction of the city as such. Another permanent exhibition space is the room that recreates a nursing home at the Old Hospital, in which visitors can appreciate the way in which the sick were treated in times past. It also has temporary exhibition rooms featuring works by local and international artists, as well as proposals by groups and institutions on contemporary themes. The schedule of this museum is from Tuesdays to Sundays from 09:00 to 17:00, for a better experience you can make resurgences.

• Museum Chapel of Man: Undoubtedly one of the most important museums within the city is La Capilla del Hombre, work summit of the plastic master Oswaldo Guayasamín, and located in the sector of Bellavista.

• National Museum of Medicine of Ecuador: Dedicated to the history of medicine and founded by Dr. Eduardo Estrella, who was an Ecuadorian doctor and researcher. Estrella studied medicine at the Central University of Ecuador. He studied psychiatry at the University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain. Estrella, later chaired the Faculty of Medicine of the Central University of Ecuador. Dr's most famous book. Star is Flora Huayaquilensis which recounts an expedition that had been lost for more than 200 years in the archives of the Royal Botanic Garden of Madrid. In 1985, Dr. Eduardo Estrella found evidence that Juan José Tafalla Navascués had toured the territory of the Audiencia de Quito and that his unpublished articles were the first systematic description of the flora of Ecuador. Classification of the National Museum of Medicine of Ecuador:

1. Aboriginal medicine Food, nutrition and health; medical archaeology; medicinal plants.
2. Colonial medicine. Institutionalization of academic medicine; hospitals and medical education; religious medicine; pharmacy instruments; colonial ethics.
3. Republican medicine. Medical-surgical instruments; clinical laboratory; dental cabinet.
4. Traditional medicine. Traditional medicine and ethnomedicine; garden of medicinal plants "Juan Tafalla".

Homeland Temple.

• Temple of the Homeland Museum: It is a monumental complex built in honor of the soldiers who fought in the Battle of Pichincha (1822); raised in the exact place where that gesta was delivered, with which the independence of the territories that today make up Ecuador was definitively sealed. It also boasts fascinating legends, such as that of Abdón Calderón, the teenage hero, born in Cuenca, who offered his life for the freedom of his homeland. The complex consists of the museum, the gardens, an outdoor theater, small commemorative monuments, a mural of the Lojano plastic master Eduardo Kingman and the rostrum in which the annual military parade takes place. Every 24th of May a military stop is held outside this museum to commemorate the libertarian prowess, commanded by Antonio José de Sucre, the Great Marshal of Ayacucho. It is also a privileged place from which you can see the entire Historical Center of Quito and part of the northern part of the city.

• Anthropological Museum of the Mejía National Institute: This site contains 17 rooms where 21 ethnic groups of the Costa, Sierra and Amazon of the country are recreated. There is also a special room for the emblematic species of the national fauna. A condor is distinguished on display, several rodents and minor primates, all embalmed. A final room is dedicated to the development of audio-visual forums and projections for the student public that comes to this anthropological complex. The aesthetic letter for this Museum was put by the sculptural talent of Galo Tobar. This teacher was able to capture the look, expression and the heriatic positions of Montubian fishermen, Serb and wise farmers and Eastern warriors. And those characters appear in the recreation of their original environments. For this purpose, bamboo reeds, bahareque, endemic tree trunks and palm leaves have been introduced to the place. The rest of the vegetation is made on paper. Important aspect in this anthropological sample is in the appreciation of the daily lives of the country's first settlers. Clothing is a point of reference to the understanding of relationships between human beings and their environments.

• Museo de Historia Natural Gustavo Orcés: Located at the National Polytechnic School, it maintains the oldest and most important paleontological collection in the country, fossils collected by Alejandro Humboldt, Teodoro Wolf, Franz Spillmann, Robert Hoffstetter, among others, and which are part of the Paleontological heritage of the country.

• Other museums: Other important museums within the District are the Alberto Mena Caamaño Museum, in the historic centre; the ethnographic Museum Mitad del Mundo, located in the tourist complex of the same name in the north of the city; the historical museums Maria Augusta Urrutia and Casa de Sucre, both in the historical center; the Numismatic Museum of the Central Bank, next to the church of La Compañía, also in the historic center of the city In addition, there are two archaeological zones located in the middle of the modern city: Metropoli City (ruins of the city of the Quitus and the Incas), and the Necropolis of La Florida (timber of the Quius).

Gastronomy

Quimbolito, sweet gastronomic delight, typical of the city.

In Quito it is possible to find a wide range of foods. There are areas specialized in the offer of prepared food, such as restaurants and cafeterias. In other parts of the city it is possible to find international and haute cuisine restaurants, which represent the culinary traditions of countries as diverse as France, Italy, Portugal, Poland, Spain, Japan, China, Peru, Argentina and Brazil. Of course, there are also important establishments dedicated to Ecuadorian gastronomy in all the provinces of the country. As far as local gastronomy is concerned, the city is the venue for gastronomic events of national importance.

The city of Quito has more than 450 gastronomic establishments (including restaurants, bars and cafeterias), which offer a great diversity of culinary styles. From establishments recognized for their typical Ecuadorian food to the flavors of French, Italian or Argentine haute cuisine. For tourists who come to the city, there is a great tool that can help them find the ideal place to go to eat, have a drink or a coffee; there you can find gastronomic establishments by type of food, average price, location and/or environment.

Cosmopolitanism

Just like any capital, the city of Quito has a wide range of tastes and themes. In this city you can find everything from international designer shops to local artisan shops. In the capital we can find a great variety of people from different parts of the country who for various reasons have emigrated from their hometowns, as well as a significant number of foreigners from all over the world. Quito has become a city that welcomes thousands of immigrants mainly from Colombia, Cuba, Peru, recently Venezuela, Europe and North America.

The city has several places full of culture where citizens from all over the country and the world gather. Among the main ones we have La Mariscal, where several places of leisure and entertainment are located that are open from Monday to Sunday. In this area there are several international food businesses, bars, discos, karaoke bars, restaurants and countless offers for meetings and nightlife. Another very popular area for Quiteños and foreigners is the historic center, since here there are museums and churches of interest, which makes it a very busy place and a point of reference for tourism and Quito culture.

There are some urban walks in the city. The most important are the boulevard of Amazonas avenue, United Nations avenue and the Mariscal area. There are certain projects proposed by the Municipality of the Metropolitan District of Quito in order to regenerate Colón Avenue to give it the same urban style as the aforementioned Amazonas and United Nations.

Economy

avenue 12 of October and its commercial area.

The city currently presents a concentration of companies and business offices in five main locations: El Ejido, La Whymper, La Coruña, La Carolina and 12 de Octubre. Which would become the four financial centers of the city. These are all in the north zone.

The city is the headquarters of the most important national companies and almost all multinational companies established in the country; It is also the headquarters of the most important industries operating in the country. Financial and banking activity is concentrated in the north center of the city around the "La Carolina" park. Quito is also a very hectic city in the commercial field, highlighting large and modern shopping centers, malls, textile, handicraft and souvenir stores, large supermarket chains, hardware stores, pharmacies, etc. The economic activity is very varied, this is where most of the actions of the automotive industry are concentrated, especially in the assembly for national consumption and export, the largest construction activity in the entire country, it is the first national exporter of flowers, wood, non-traditional products such as hearts of palm and asparagus and several more from their valleys and from the same district; The commercial activity is very varied and the city concentrates the largest number of companies dedicated to this activity at a national level. It is the second city that receives the most remittances according to statistics from the Central Bank of Ecuador in 2008. And last and most importantly, the tourist activity that is the one that most attracts the city and in which it intends to concentrate and dedicate its greatest efforts.. From a large investment aimed at the urban regeneration of the Historic Center and other tourist places that began in 2001 by the Municipality of the Metropolitan District of Quito, tourism has become a very important source of income for the city.

Gross Domestic Product

Quito, capital of the province of Pichincha and of Ecuador, is the city that contributes the most to the National GDP and the largest by per capita income. Quito is the one with the highest degree of tax collection in Ecuador for levies according to the Internal Revenue Service (S.R.I.), exceeding 57% nationally in 2009, being currently the most important economic region in the country, according to the latest "study" made by the Central Bank of Ecuador, in 2006, the contribution was 18.6% to the GDP, generating 4106 million dollars, however its adjudication value allows this GDP to be even higher, reaching in real terms the 27% of the country's GDP thanks to contributions from oil and property production. Updated: as of 2009, Quito's GDP was approximately 57.650 million dollars for production (19% contribution), 4,112 million dollars for production awarded (8% awarded) and $14,762 million in total GDP (27% from 8% awarded, 19% produced).

Table: Economic data of the city of Quito for the year 2009

Sports

Atahualpa Olympic Stadium, main sports scene of the city.

The Pichincha Sports Concentration is the governing body for sports in the entire Province of Pichincha and therefore its control authority is exercised in Quito. Some of the most important sports institutions in the country are housed in this city. The city is endowed with a network of complete public sports centers that, added to the private centers, facilitate the practice of physical exercise, this together with the climate, makes Quito one of the Ecuadorian cities with the most sports practitioners.

The main sporting arena in the city is the Estadio Olímpico Atahualpa, home to the men's national soccer team, the women's soccer team, and several Quito soccer clubs. Other notable sports venues are: the Rodrigo Paz Delgado Stadium (owned by Liga Deportiva Universitaria), the Gonzalo Pozo Ripalda Stadium (owned by Sociedad Deportiva Aucas), the General Rumiñahui Coliseum and the Julio César Hidalgo Coliseum, which are also venues for different sports. such as basketball, volleyball and futsal, etc. By having a diverse sports infrastructure, one of the most complete in the country, it has hosted several national and international sports competitions, among which are:

• V Bolivarian Games Quito and Guayaquil 1965
• Copa America 1975
• Copa America 1979
• South American Championship Sub-20 Ecuador 1981
• Copa America 1983
• Copa America 1993
• Sub-17 World Championship Ecuador 1995
• South American Championship Sub-17 Ecuador 2007
• South American Championship Sub-17 Ecuador 2011
• Women's South American Championship Ecuador 2010
• Women's South American Championship Ecuador 2014
• South American Championship Sub-20 Ecuador 2017

Athletics

The largest popular athletic competition in the country is the Quito Últimas Noticias 15K and it has been organized in this city since 1960. In its 2013 edition it had a total of 22,000 registered athletes.

Football

The most popular sport in the city, as in the whole country, is soccer, being the sport with the greatest number of people. The city is home to four of the most popular teams in the country: Liga Deportiva Universitaria, Sociedad Deportiva Aucas, Club Deportivo El Nacional and Club Deportivo Universidad Católica.

The University Sports League, known as the "King of Cups", is the team that has the most international titles, having to its credit 11 national championships, 1 cup championship, 2 super cup championships and 4 titles international, he has been crowned champion of the Copa Libertadores (2008 edition), the Copa Sudamericana (2009 edition), two Recopa Sudamericana (2009 edition, and 2010 edition), and in 2008 he was runner-up in the World Cup clubs, since 2008 it is the best located Ecuadorian team according to the Conmebol Ranking. Club Deportivo El Nacional is the third club with the most national champion titles, having 13. It is characterized because its squad of players is made up Ecuadorian soccer players. He has been a three-time champion and has done so twice, in 1976, 1977, 1978 and in 1982, 1983, 1984. Other traditional Quito teams are: Club Deportivo América, and Sociedad Deportivo Quito, which are based at the Atahualpa Olympic Stadium.

The professional soccer teams of the Ecuadorian first division that have Quito are:

First Division equipment
Serie A of Ecuador
N.o	Equipment	Stadium	International titles	National titles
1	Aucas Sports Society	Gonzalo Pozo Ripalda	0	1
2	Cumbayá Football Club	Olympic Atahualpa	0	0
3	Club Deportivo El Nacional	Olympic Atahualpa	0	13
4	University Sports League	Rodrigo Paz Delgado	4	14
5	Club Deportivo Universidad Católica	Olympic Atahualpa	0	0
Serie B of Ecuador
1	Club Deportivo América	Olympic Atahualpa	1	0

Twinned cities

	Country		City		Subnational entity
	Argentina		Buenos Aires		Autonomous City
	Brazil		Brasilia		Federal District
	Brazil		Porto Alegre		Rio Grande del Sur
	Bolivia		La Paz		Department of La Paz
	Canada		Toronto		Ontario
	Canada		Vancouver		British Columbia
	Chile		Santiago de Chile		Metropolitan Region of Santiago
	Colombia		Bogotá		Capital District
	Colombia		Medellín		Antioquia
	Colombia		Cali		Valle del Cauca
	Costa Rica		San José		San José Province
	United Arab Emirates		Dubai		Emirate of Dubai
	Spain		Barcelona		Catalonia
	Spain		Madrid		Community of Madrid
	United States		Coral Gables		Florida
	United States		Louisville		Kentucky
	United States		Saint Paul		Minnesota
	Israel		Jerusalem		Jerusalem District
	Mexico		Mexico City		Federal District
	Nicaragua		Managua		Department of Managua
	Paraguay		Assumption		Capital District
	Peru		Lima		Province of Lima
	Peru		Paita		Paita Province
	Puerto Rico		San Juan		District of San Juan
	United Kingdom		London		England
	Dominican Republic		Santo Domingo		National District
	Dominican Republic		San Felipe de Puerto Plata		Puerto Plata
	Taiwan		Taipei		Taipei
	Uruguay		Montevideo		Department of Montevideo
	Venezuela		Caracas		Capital District