Pre-Colonial & Incan Roots
This indigenous group, who gave their name to the city, inhabited the plateau long before the Incas arrived.
QUITUS
This famous church is known as the "Jesuit Gold Temple" because of its incredibly ornate, gold-leafed interior.
La Compañía de Jesús
Quito earned its nickname "Luz de América" because it was the first city in Latin America to do this on August 10, 1809.
Declare independence/Cry of Independence
This legendary figure supposedly made a pact with the Devil to finish the atrium of San Francisco Church in exchange for his soul.
Cantuña
In 1978, Quito (along with Kraków) became the very first city to be named a World Heritage Site by this organization.
UNESCO
This Incan Emperor, born in Quito, was the last to rule a united empire before the civil war with his brother Huáscar.
Atahualpa
Most colonial art in Quito was created by the "Escuela Quiteña," which blended European techniques with indigenous symbolism. What is the Spanish name for this artistic style?
Baroque (Quiteño Baroque)
This decisive battle, fought on the slopes of a volcano on May 24, 1822, secured independence for Ecuador.
Battle of Pichincha
In the legend of "The Father Almeida," the priest would sneak out of his convent at night by stepping on the shoulder of a statue of this figure.
Jesus Christ (The Crucifix)
This massive neo-Gothic basilica is famous for having gargoyles shaped like native Ecuadorian animals, such as tortoises and iguanas.
Basílica del Voto Nacional
According to legend, this general burned the city to the ground in 1534 to prevent the Spanish from capturing its treasures.
Rumiñahui
This indigenous sculptor created the original 1734 "Winged Virgin," which served as the model for the massive aluminum statue on El Panecillo.
Bernardo de Legarda
This Venezuelan general, known as the "Grand Marshal of Ayacucho," led the liberating forces at the Battle of Pichincha.
Antonio José de Sucre
This legendary rooster, located atop the Cathedral, supposedly came to life to peck at a wealthy drunkard named Don Ramón Ayala.
El Gallo de la Catedral
This French scientific mission visited Quito in the 1730s to measure the curvature of the earth and prove its shape.
French Geodesic Mission
This specific hill, now topped by the Virgin of El Panecillo, was used by the Incas as a temple for this celestial body.
The Sun (Inti)
This 16th-century complex is the oldest and largest architectural ensemble in the historic center, featuring a massive cobblestone plaza.
San Francisco
This feminist icon and lover of Simón Bolívar was born in Quito and is known as the "Liberatrix of the Liberator."
Manuela Sáenz
This "cursed" street in the historic center is famous for its narrowness and the legend of a spectral hearse that roams at night.
La Calle de las Siete Cruces (or specifically the hearse of "La Caja Ronca")
This president, who was assassinated at the entrance of the Carondelet Palace in 1875, was responsible for building the National Astronomical Observatory.
Gabriel García Moreno
This ancient trade route connected the Quitu-Cara people from the highlands to the Pacific coast for the trade of Spondylus shells.
The Yumbo Trails (Culuncos)
In many colonial paintings, this local rodent is often depicted on the table during the "Last Supper" instead of a lamb.
Cuy (Guinea Pig)
his wealthy aristocrat and intellectual hosted the secret meetings of 1809 that sparked the first cry of independence.
Manuela Cañizares
The "House of the 102 Doors" is a famous colonial mansion associated with the legend of this person, who supposedly hid a massive treasure within its walls.
The legend of the treasures of the Kingdom of Quito.
Before it became a world-class contemporary art museum, the "Centro de Arte Contemporáneo" served as this type of facility during the early 1900s.
A Military Hospital.