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Quito, Ecuador - October 6/8, 2010 |
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QUITO, ECUADOR
Enjoying a privileged position in the high Andes, surrounded by beautiful valleys and cupped by spectacular mountains, Quito is so close to sky you can almost touch it. We invite you to discover Quito's historical, cultural and contemporary heritage, its World Heritage wonders, and its warm and friendly people.
In Quito, old meets new, mountain high becomes valley deep, and spring prevails year-round. Nestled in the valley of the Incas, surrounded by the grandeur of the Andes and the luxuriance of the rainforest, Quito is a cultural centre of compelling history, architecture, people, art, cuisine and cosmopolitan nightlife, hemmed by a rich, diverse landscape full of captivating adventures and an enchanting, if mystical, energy. all within easy reach. With five distinct zones, each with its own unique flavour and potential for discovery, Quito holds an infinite wealth of experiences for every visitor.
We're delighted to welcome you to Quito and the wonders of our World Heritage city.
Quito's charm lies in its beautiful Colonial Centre, full of legends woven over hundreds of years and still alive in the memory of its people. Folk tales are entwined in the city's history, in the narrow cobble stone streets, behind the doorways of the churches and convents, hidden in the darkened corridors and enchanting patios.
Nestled deep within the valley of towering Andean volcanoes, at 2,800m (around 10,000 feet) above sea level, Quito's spectacular old town extends over 320 hectares - the largest historic centre in the Americas. Host to 40 churches and chapels, 16 convents and monasteries with their respective cloisters, 17 plazas, 12 chapter rooms and refectories, 12 museums and countless courtyards, Quito's historical heritage is only equalled by the energy and vibrancy of its thousands of residents.
Quito is truly an asset to the history of America: the great majority of its buildings have withstood the trials of nature and the tribulations of Man. The city's diverse cultures have generated a treasure trove of artistic, cultural and historic wealth, safe-guarded down the centuries to the present. UNESCO recognised this fact in November 1978 when it declared Quito the first World Heritage Site. Quito is, without doubt, a tourist destination not to be missed.
25 years on, Quito's authorities celebrated its World Heritage nomination by transforming the Old Town, reclaiming its elegant public spaces, its grandeur and its legacy. New museums have been inaugurated, cultural centres opened up, mansions restored, restaurants and cafés launched, safety improved, traffic regulated. The capital's heart beats with renewed vigour, cultural life and pride, as citizens and visitors alike enjoy its unique attractions. The jewel in Ecuador's crown today shines brighter than ever before.
A Millennial History
During the first millennium, nomadic communities hunting for animals and foraging for food arrived in the rich and fertile valley of Quito. Over time, tribes settled and Quito became an important settlement and major trading centre known as 'Tianguez.' Quito evolved into a cross-roads of cultures, and the most important economic centre in the northern Andes.
During the 16th century the Incas extended their area of influence from Peru and, following various battles, asserted their control over the Quito region. They established Quito as their key administrative centre from which to control the territories of their northern Empire.
The Spanish thirst for new land and riches brought them across the oceans to the Americas. The meeting of the two cultures proved cataclysmic. By the time the Spaniards arrived in what is today Quito, they found only ashes and ruins: the Inca general Rumiñahui razed the city rather than let the Inca kingdom fall into Spanish hands.
The city of San Francisco de Quito, formerly established in 1534, blossomed. As the wealth of its citizens grew and the religious orders accrued influence, day by day and year by year the city acquired more beauty and extravagance, burgeoning into one of the great cities of Spanish America.
However, by the dawn of the 19th century, social unrest and revolution were sweeping across the continent. The blood of civil war fell on Ecuadorian soil. In Ecuador, the struggle for independence began with the liberals' 'cry of freedom' in Quito in 1809, continued with the triumph over the Spanish in 1822 at the Battle of Pichincha on the slopes above the city, and ended with the proclamation of the Republic of Ecuador in 1830.
As the staunchly colonial city of Quito entered the 20th century, it finally outgrew the confines laid out over three hundred years before. The growth of the city was spurred mainly by the Pacific-Andean railway line that linked the coastal city of Guayaquil with the highland capital of Quito. This connection between the coast and sierra unleashed a great internal migration and unprecedented commercial expansion, bringing with it modern infrastructure and fresh styles of architecture complemented by new building materials.
The banana boom of the forties fuelled the city's expansion and opened up the north of the city. The wealthy families established in the colonial centre looked to this area for new land and family homes. Ecuador used its new-found prosperity to implement infrastructure projects such as hospitals, schools, universities, prisons and an international airport. The second wave of development came on the coat-tails of the petroleum boom of the seventies, high rise buildings spiking the skyline, new public buildings such as Ministries, courts and a Legislative Palace rising up, and new residential neighbourhoods sprouting where once fields and forest ruled. The face of Quito was never the same again.
Today, Quito has also expanded into the eastern valleys of Tumbaco and Cumbaya, and continues to spread northwards into the valley of Calderón, and southwards towards the looming volcanoes in the distance. Its population is around two million.
ECUADOR
Ecuador is a land of mega biodiversity, blessed by the poetic paradox of snow-capped peaks amid the Tropics. Located on the equinoctial line, it harbours the Andean Range, Pacific Ocean and Amazon Basin, all within a country the size of Great Britain or the state of Nevada.
Its four regions give rise to a natural and climatic diversity which can be enjoyed just hours from Quito. Descend from a city in the sky, warmed by the powerful Andean sun, down through the refreshing mist, you cross the equator into another world.
The western slopes of the Andes, a few hours' away, are enveloped in richly-forested hills brimming with endemic species. Ecuador is considered one of the seventeen most bio diverse countries on the planet, with the highest density of species per square kilometre in the world. In the bountiful playground, garden of lush vegetation, towering trees muffled in around 1,840 varieties of birds fly freely through the intense blue sky, while dotting the deep green forests, close to 4,500 species of butterfly flit.
From Quito's pumping veins, be transported to the beauty waterfalls cascading down from the icy peaks. Experience the enchantment of crossing into a secret mosses and veiled in vines, mists of a million water droplets of the enchanting forest, threaded with waxing and waning with the whims of the sun: Ecuador's cloud forest domain.
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