Historic Centre of Quito
The best-preserved large colonial city in Latin America, and one of the two sites that received the very first UNESCO World Heritage inscriptions in history (September 1978) — the 320-hectare historic centre of Quito contains the most complete collection of Baroque churches, monasteries, and convents built by the Spanish in the Americas, constructed at 2,850 metres altitude on the ruins of the Inca city of Quitu, and maintained without significant demolition through five centuries of Andean earthquakes and political upheavals.
At a glance
Quito (population of the city approximately 1.8 million; the historic centre, approximately 350,000) is the capital of Ecuador and of the Pichincha province, at 2,850 metres altitude in a long narrow valley between the Andes ranges, 25 km south of the Equator. The city is built on a terrain of extraordinary geological complexity (surrounded by active volcanoes — Pichincha, 4,784 m, erupted in 1999 and deposited ash on the city; Cotopaxi, 5,897 m, is 50 km to the south), which makes the engineering achievement of the historic buildings particularly remarkable. The UNESCO inscription covers the Historic Centre of Quito (inscribed September 1978, the first city in the world to receive the World Heritage designation).
Key facts
- La Compañía de Jesús: the most elaborate Baroque church interior in the Americas, and the most expensive structure in colonial Latin America — built by the Jesuit Order between 1605 and 1765 (taking 160 years to complete); the interior is covered from floor to ceiling vault with gilded Baroque carved ornament in an estimated 7 tonnes of gold leaf (the most gold in any single church interior in the Americas); the façade (1722–65) is carved in deep relief Churrigueresque style (the most ornate variant of Spanish Baroque, in which every surface is covered with carved ornament); the overall effect is of entering a golden grotto; the church is currently open to visitors (daily, approximately $4 entrance fee) and is not consecrated for regular services; the UNESCO inscription specifically singles out La Compañía as one of the most outstanding examples of Baroque architecture in the world
- Convento de San Francisco: the oldest and largest religious complex in South America — founded in 1537, three years after the Spanish conquest of Quito; the complex covers approximately 3 hectares (14 buildings, the largest convent complex in the Americas); the façade of the church (completed approximately 1680) is the model for most church architecture in the northern Andes (the twin-tower facade rising above a broad staircase, now known as the “Andean Baroque” type); the interior of the church (a triple-nave hall church with carved Baroque gilded altarpieces) contains the famous sculpture of the Virgen de Quito (the Virgin of Quito, by Bernardo de Legaréta, the finest example of Quiteño Baroque wood sculpture); the adjacent cloister and the Museo Fray Pedro Gocial (paintings and sculpture from the Quito School, 16th–18th century) require a separate ticket
- The Quito School (Escuela Queña / Escuela de Quito): the most important school of colonial art in South America — a unique synthesis of indigenous Andean (primarily Inca and pre-Inca) artistic techniques with Spanish Baroque iconography, developed in Quito between the 16th and 18th centuries; the Quito School artists (primarily indigenous and mestizo craftsmen trained by Franciscan and Jesuit missionaries) developed a distinctive visual language that combines European Baroque figures with Andean textures, colours, and facial features; the Virgen de Quito (the winged Virgin with a crescent moon underfoot, standing on a globe with a serpent — modelled on the Apocalyptic Woman of Revelations 12) became the most exported iconographic type of the colonial Andes; the finest collection of Quito School art is in the Museo Fray Pedro Gocial (San Francisco) and the Casa de la Cultura Ecuatoriana
- Plaza de la Independencia (Plaza Grande): the civic heart of the historic centre — the main square of Quito, flanked by the Cathedral (Catedral Metropolitana, 1535–62), the Archbishop’s Palace, the Presidential Palace (Palacio de Carondelet), and the City Hall (Municipio); the square was laid out in 1534 by Sebastián de Benalcázar on the same layout as the Inca ceremonial plaza that it replaced; the Independence Monument (1809 — commemorating the Quito Declaration of Independence, the first act of independence in Latin America, 10 August 1809) stands in the centre; access to the interior of the Palacio de Carondelet (the government palace, where the president has his official residence and office) is available on guided tours that must be booked in advance
- Altitude and health: Quito at 2,850 m is high enough to produce mild symptoms of altitude sickness (soroche) in visitors arriving from sea level — headache, fatigue, and shortness of breath for the first 24–48 hours are common; visitors are advised to rest, drink water, avoid alcohol on arrival, and acclimatise for a day before undertaking strenuous activities; the altitude also makes Quito one of the two capitals in the world (together with La Paz, Bolivia, which is even higher) where the climate is consistently cool and spring-like despite being located only 25 km from the Equator — average maximum temperature is approximately 19°C year-round
- Heritage: UNESCO World Heritage Site, City of Quito, inscribed September 1978 (one of the first two World Heritage inscriptions)
- GPS: 0.2201° S, 78.5123° W
History
The site of Quito was occupied by the Quitu people (whose pre-Inca culture gives the city its name) and then by the Inca Empire (incorporated into the Inca state c. 1470 by the Sapa Inca Tupac Yupanqui); the Inca made Quito one of the two capitals of the empire (together with Cusco), and the Sapa Inca Atahualpa was born here; when Pizarro’s conquistadors arrived in 1532, the Inca commander Ruñipagua destroyed the Inca city to prevent its capture, and when Sebastián de Benalcázar founded the Spanish city of San Francisco de Quito on its ruins in 1534, there were effectively no buildings left standing; the entire colonial fabric of the historic centre was built from scratch on the Inca urban grid.
The colonial church-building programme of the Franciscans (San Francisco, 1537), Augustinians (San Agustín, 1573), Dominicans (Santo Domingo, 1540), and Jesuits (La Compañía, 1605) created the most concentrated collection of Baroque religious architecture in the Americas over two centuries; the Quito Declaration of Independence (10 August 1809 — the first formal declaration of independence from Spain in any American colony) was suppressed by royalist forces, but the date is now the national holiday of Ecuador; independence was finally achieved in 1822 under Simón Bolívar and Antonio José de Sucre at the Battle of Pichincha (fought on the slopes of the Pichincha volcano above the city, 24 May 1822).
What you see
The historic centre is compact (approximately 320 hectares, walkable in a day) but requires multiple visits to fully appreciate; the key circuit: Plaza de la Independencia (Plaza Grande) → Cathedral (free entry during mass; guided tours available) → La Compañía de Jesús (1 hour minimum) → the El Panecillo hill (a 3,000 m hillock immediately south of the historic centre, accessible by taxi in 10 minutes or on foot in 30 minutes, topped by the 45-metre aluminium statue of the Virgen de Quito — the view of the historic centre from the hill is one of the great urban panoramas in South America) → Convento de San Francisco (1.5 hours) → Santo Domingo church and square. The Calle La Ronda (the most atmospheric colonial residential street in Quito, narrow cobbled alley with flower-hung balconies) is best visited in the late afternoon when the artisan shops are open.
The Teleférico (cable car, 10 km from the historic centre) ascends the flank of Pichincha volcano from 2,950 m to 4,100 m (the Cruz Loma station) in 8 minutes — from here the city lies directly below and the full panoramic view of the Andean city between its mountain ranges is available; on clear days (best in the morning before cloud builds) the views extend to Cotopaxi (50 km south) and Cayambe (60 km north-east); the volcano summit (4,784 m) is accessible from the station by a 2–3 hour hike (requires appropriate clothing for cold and altitude).
Practical information
- Admission: Plaza de la Independencia and streets free; Cathedral free during mass, guided tour approximately $5; La Compañía de Jesús approximately $4; Convento de San Francisco free (church); Museo Fray Pedro Gocial (colonial art) approximately $3; Casa del Alabado (pre-Columbian art, the best private collection in Ecuador) approximately $5; El Panecillo free (statue exterior); Teleférico approximately $8.50 return
- Getting there: Mariscal Sucre International Airport (UIO) — direct international flights from Miami (American, 4.5h), New York (American, 5.5h), Madrid (Iberia, 11h), Amsterdam (KLM, 12h), Bogotá (Avianca, 1h), Lima (LATAM, 2h); the airport is 15 km north-east of the historic centre; Metro Line 1 (2023, the first metro in Ecuador, $0.45 fare) connects the airport station (Hospital del Valle) to the El Ejido station (5 min walk to the north edge of the historic centre) in approximately 40 minutes; taxi approximately $15–20 (25–40 min depending on traffic)
- Altitude acclimatisation: arrive a day early if planning a demanding day at the churches; drink coca tea (mate de coca, available at most hotels and cafes — legal in Ecuador, the mild coca-leaf infusion traditional in the Andes as an altitude remedy); avoid heavy meals and alcohol the first evening; the altitude affects some people more than others and there is no reliable predictor; acetazolamide (Diamox) prescribed by a doctor before departure is effective for susceptible travellers
Getting there
Quito Airport (UIO): 15 km from historic centre. Metro Line 1 ($0.45, 40 min) or taxi ($15–20). Direct flights from Miami (4.5h), Madrid (11h). GPS: -0.2201, -78.5123.
Nearby
- Mitad del Mundo (Middle of the World) — 22 km north of Quito (30 min by bus or taxi); the equatorial monument complex (at latitude 00°00’00” N, measured by the 1736 French Geodesic Mission) with its 30-metre stone pyramid and line of the equator; the adjacent Intiñan Solar Museum (a few hundred metres from the official monument, which was placed slightly inaccurately in the 1980s) is at the GPS-accurate position of the equator and demonstrates gravity and balance effects at the equator; the Cochasqui archaeological site (45 km north, 90 min) — 15 earthen truncated pyramids of the Cara people (800–1500 AD, the pre-Inca culture of the Quito basin) in a state of partial excavation and with an on-site museum
- Otavalo market — 110 km north of Quito (2 hours by bus or car); the most famous indigenous market in South America — the Otavalo Kichwa people have been selling their textiles (blankets, ponchos, hammocks, embroidered blouses) at the Plaza de Ponchos market every Saturday (and to a lesser extent daily) for centuries; the scale of the market (covering several city blocks) and the quality and variety of the craft textiles make Otavalo the premier craft market in Ecuador; the Imbabura Province landscape (the volcanic lake of Cuicocha, the Mojanda Lagoons, the Cotacachi Cayapas Ecological Reserve) completes a Otavalo day trip
- Cotopaxi National Park — 50 km south of Quito (1.5h by car); the Cotopaxi volcano (5,897 m, one of the highest active volcanoes in the world) is accessible on a day trip from Quito; the National Park road reaches approximately 4,600 m, where the José Ribas mountain hut (the standard base camp for summit attempts) gives dramatic close views of the ice cap; the park alta plain (páramo) has wild horses and Andean condors; the volcano was considered dormant for decades but had a significant eruptive episode in 2015 and continues to be closely monitored
Sources
- Wikipedia, Quito; La Compañía de Jesús, Quito; Convento de San Francisco, Quito, accessed June 2026
- UNESCO, City of Quito, WHS reference 2, inscribed September 1978
- Alfonso Ortiz Crespo, Quito: La Gran Ciudad del Barroco Andino, Libri Mundi, 2007
- Valerie Fraser, The Architecture of Conquest: Building in the Viceroyalty of Peru 1535–1635, Cambridge University Press, 1990
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