 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Quito
Quito is the capital of Ecuador and of Pichincha Province. The city is in a narrow, fertile, picturesque valley of Pichincha volcano in the Andes at an elevation of 2,850 m (9,350 ft) above sea level. Due to the altitude Quito has a pleasant, moderate climate in spite of being just south of the equator. Quito has little heavy industry. Its chief manufactured products include textiles, processed food, beverages, leather, cement, furniture, and gold and silver craftware. The city is linked to the Pacific Ocean by roads and a railway and is on the Pan-American Highway. Quito is one of the oldest South American capital and retains much of its colonial aspect. Under Spanish colonial rule it became a provincial capital, responsible to the viceroy; and in 1535 the church and monastery of San Francisco, built on the city's main plaza, became the first Christian foundation in South America. Endowed with many Spanish Baroque style architecture from its colonial days. The best example is 17th-century cathedral and the churches of San Francisco, San Augustin, La Compañía, and Santo Domingo. The city is laid out mainly according to a rectangular plan with an expansive central plaza, many quiet parks and flower gardens, and numerous steep narrow streets. The site of Quito was settled since the 5th or 6th Century, and it became successively the fortified capital of several native groups, including the Quito. Later it was the northern provincial capital of the Inca empire, linked by a long road to Cusco, the imperial capital. In 1530 it was governed by Atahualpa, who used it as a base to seize the rest of the empire, defeating his brother and co-ruler, Huascar. In 1534 it was captured by the Spanish conquistador Sebastián de Belalcázar, a lieutenant of Francisco Pizarro. The Spanish made it the capital of the presidency of Quito. In 1822 the city was liberated by Antonio José de Sucre, the commander of the South American troops in their revolt against Spanish rule. Quito was Ecuador's chief economic centre until the early 20th century, when it was replaced by Guayaquil. The city has been damaged by several earthquakes in the 19th century. The city is the site of the Central and also the Catholic University of Ecuador and many other schools of higher education. Population around 2 million.
We felt a bit lost at our arrival at Quito Airport as not many Quito people speak English and the airport is rather chaotic. The 'Information' people were much in a hurry, I do not know of what. Their only advise was get a Taxi, only US$5 to town. Hui Chin and I, being always on short 'shoelace' budget, always trying to avoid using Taxis, as being one of the most expensive way of travel. In the end we found our way immediately cross the road and catch a "Aeropuerto", "Quito Norte" public bus. A young lady explained to Hui Chin where to get off the bus and find our Hotel. We didn't like our hotel and a couple of other nearby ones either. Hui Chin managed to get lost, while checking out the Hotel Amazonas, which was a bit more expensive than we were planning for, but was very nice to stay at. The Old Town, the old city centre, the over glorified "Trolly", the 'Old Town' market and the very old church of San Francisco were a very interesting experiences. We did enjoy our stay in Quito.
You can click on these photos for an enlargement.
Site Index Back to Top Photos Index Thanks for coming, I hope you
have enjoyed it, will recommend
it to your friends, and will come
back later to see my site developing
and expanding.
|
