Quito: A City of History, Culture, and Modernity in the Ecuadorian Highlands

Quito, officially San Francisco de Quito, stands as the capital and second-largest city of Ecuador. With an estimated population of 2.8 million in its metropolitan area, Quito is also the capital of the province of Pichincha. Its high elevation of 2,850 m (9,350 ft) makes it one of the highest capital cities in the world. Quito serves as the political and cultural heart of Ecuador, housing the country's major governmental, administrative, and cultural institutions. A significant number of transnational companies operating in Ecuador have their headquarters in Quito.

Ancient Origins and Inca Influence

The history of Quito stretches back millennia, with archaeological evidence indicating that sedentary populations first settled the area between 4400 and 1600 BC. The oldest traces of human presence were discovered on the slopes of the Ilaló volcano, where hunter-gatherers left obsidian tools dating to 8000 BC. Another significant settlement, dating back to 1500 BC, was found in the Cotocollao neighborhood, northwest of Quito.

In the late fifteenth century, the Inca Emperor Huayna Capac conquered the Quitu, the region’s original inhabitants, incorporating Quito into the Inca Empire and designating it as the capital of the Inca Empire's northern region. While the priest Juan de Velasco wrote about a Kingdom of Quito, claiming that the Cara people took over the region around AD 890, archaeological evidence does not support the existence of such a unified kingdom. Most historians today believe that the region was more fragmented. The Quitu ruled over Quito at the time of the Inca invasion by Topa Inca Yupanqui.

In the early 21st century, the discovery of 20-meter deep tombs in the La Florida neighborhood revealed the high quality of craftsmanship and complex funerary rites of the Quitu people around AD 800.

Spanish Colonial Era

The Spanish conquistadors arrived in the region in 1534. Diego de Almagro founded Santiago de Quito on 15 August 1534, which was later renamed San Francisco de Quito on 28 August 1534. Quito was officially declared a city on 28 March 1541. On 23 February 1556, it was granted the title "Muy Noble y Muy Leal Ciudad de San Francisco de Quito" ("Very Noble and Loyal City of San Francisco of Quito").

In 1563, Quito became the seat of a Real Audiencia (administrative district) of Spain, initially part of the Viceroyalty of Peru until 1717, when it became part of the new Viceroyalty of New Granada. The Spanish established Roman Catholicism in Quito, constructing the first church (El Belén) even before the city's official founding. The San Francisco Convent, the first of about 20 churches and convents built during the colonial period, was constructed in January 1535. By 1743, after nearly 210 years of Spanish colonization, Quito had a population of about 10,000 inhabitants.

Independence Movements and Republican Era

Quito briefly proclaimed its de facto independence from Spain between 1765 and 1766 during the Quito Revolt. On 10 August 1809, another movement for independence was started in Quito, with Juan Pío Montúfar appointed as president. However, this movement was defeated on 2 August 1810, when colonial troops arrived from Lima, Peru, and killed the leaders of the uprising and about 200 other settlers.

The struggle for independence continued, culminating on 24 May 1822, when Antonio José de Sucre, under the command of Simón Bolívar, led troops to victory in the Battle of Pichincha, on the slopes of the volcano. In 1833, members of the Society of Free Inhabitants of Quito were assassinated by the government after they conspired against it.

The republican era saw further conflicts and changes in leadership. The country's president, Gabriel García Moreno, was assassinated in Quito in 1875. In 1882, insurgents rose up against the regime of dictator Ignacio de Veintimilla. Eloy Alfaro became the president of Ecuador on 4 September 1895, after participating in the Battle of Guayaquil on 9 July 1883.

In 1932, the Four Days' War, a civil war, broke out following the election of Neptalí Bonifaz.

Modern Quito

In 2011, the city's population was 2,239,191 people. Since 2002, the city has been renewing its historic center. The old airport was closed to air traffic on 19 February 2013, and the area was redeveloped as "Parque Bicentenario" (Bicentennial Park). During 2003 and 2004, the bus lines of the Metrobus (Ecovia) were constructed, traversing the city from the north to the south. Many avenues and roads were extended and enlarged, depressed passages were constructed, and roads were restructured geometrically to increase the flow of traffic.

Geography and Climate

Quito is located in the northern highlands of Ecuador in the Guayllabamba river basin. The city is built on a long plateau lying on the east flanks of the Pichincha volcano. The valley of Guayllabamba River where Quito lies is flanked by volcanoes, some of them snow-capped, and visible from the city on a clear day. Quito is the closest capital city to the equator.

Pichincha, Quito's closest volcano, is active and monitored by volcanologists. The largest eruption occurred in 1660, covering the city in more than 25 cm (9.8 in) of ash. Other nearby volcanoes, such as Cotopaxi, Sincholagua, Antisana, and Cayambe, can also affect the city.

Quito features a subtropical highland climate with uniform precipitation. Because of its altitude and location on the equator, Quito has a fairly constant cool but comfortable climate. The average afternoon maximum temperature is 21.4 °C (70.5 °F), and the average night-time minimum temperature is 9.8 °C (49.6 °F). The annual average temperature is 15.6 °C (60.1 °F). The city has two seasons: the dry season (June through August), referred to as summer, and the wet season (September through May), referred to as winter.

Economy and Governance

Quito is the largest city in contribution to national GDP, and the highest in per capita income. In "The World according to GaWC" global cities report, Quito is ranked as a Beta city.

Quito is governed by a mayor and a 15-member city council. The mayor is elected to a five-year term and can be re-elected. The position also doubles as Mayor of the Metropolitan District of Quito (the canton). Cantons are subdivided into parishes, which are further grouped into municipal zones. As of 2008, the municipality of Quito divided the city into 32 urban parishes, also known as cabildos.

Transportation

The MetrobusQ network, also known as "Red Integrada de Transporte Público", is the bus rapid transit system running in Quito, divided into three sections: the green line (El Trole), the red line (the Ecovía), and the blue line (the Central Corridor). In addition to the bus rapid transit system, there are many bus companies running in the city. Taxi cabs are all yellow, and they have meters that show the fare. In March 2023, a new bicycle sharing system was established.

Because of growing road congestion in many areas, a 23 km (14 mi) metro subway system (Quito Metro) began construction in 2013.

The two main motorways that go from the northern part of the city to the southern are Avenue Oriental (Corridor Periférico Oriental) on the eastern hills that border the city, and Avenue Occidental on the western side of the city on the Pichincha volcano. The street 10 de Agosto also runs north to south through most of the city, running down the middle of it.

The Mariscal Sucre International Airport, located 18 km (11 mi) east of the city's center in the Tababela parish, serves as the city's principal airport. It began operations on 20 February 2013, replacing the Old Mariscal Sucre International Airport.

Historic Center and Cultural Heritage

Quito has the largest, least-altered, and best-preserved historic center in the Americas. This center was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO on 18 September 1978. The historic center of Quito is to the south of the capital's current center, on an area of 320 ha (790 acres), and one of the most important historic areas in Latin America.

Carondelet's Palace (Palacio de Carondelet) is the seat of the Government of the Republic of Ecuador, located in the historic center of Quito. The palace overlooks the Independence Square or Plaza Grande, together with the Archbishop's Palace, the Municipal Palace, the Hotel Plaza Grande and the Metropolitan Cathedral.

The monumental Basilica del Voto Nacional is the most important neo-Gothic building in Ecuador. The Quito Metropolitan Cathedral, construction of which began in 1535, is one of the largest religious symbols of spiritual value for the Catholic community in the city. The Church of La Compañía, construction of which began in 1605, is another notable religious landmark.

Hydropower Projects

The Manduriacu and Coca Projects are the main hydropower projects in northern of Ecuador that depend on runoff sources from two different watersheds. The Guayllabamba River basin is located in the Northwest part of the EAM in Pichincha and Imbabura provinces. The Coca River watershed is located in the Northeast part of Napo Province. Rainfall in the upstream drainage area of the Tropical Andes (TA) is an important source of water to support hydropower facilities.

Security Challenges and International Cooperation

Ecuador, once known as an island of peace in the Andes, faces significant security challenges due to drug trafficking and associated gang violence. The country's homicide rate has surpassed that of Mexico, El Salvador, and Honduras, becoming the highest in South America.

The situation reached a tipping point in January of 2024, with President Noboa’s declaration of ‘internal armed conflict.’ This declaration followed the escape of key gang leaders, prison riots, and an attack on a live television broadcast.

In response to the escalating crisis, President Noboa has sought domestic support for his approach to combating crime and has received international support from the United States and Europe. The United States has provided security equipment and a comprehensive aid package, while European countries have focused on cooperation in combating drug trafficking through ports.

To address the root causes of the crisis, Ecuador must rebuild its institutions, making them efficient and insulating them from the influence of criminal organizations. Key areas for improvement include intelligence gathering, law enforcement coordination, judicial reform, and prison management.

Regional cooperation with Colombia, Peru, and Mexico is also crucial in combating cross-border criminal activity. Cooperation with the United States and Europe can provide valuable technical assistance and resources for strengthening Ecuador's security capabilities.

The Allure of the Galápagos

The Galápagos program, which I am participating in, is structured very differently from a typical study abroad program. Taking classes like any other student, we pick a “track” with a focus on a specific subject (mine, for instance, is focused on ecology and evolution). Basically, it’s like five Jan Term classes all strung together.

Adjusting to life on the Galápagos can be a little difficult at first. Quito is a massive city with tons of things to do and places to see, while within a few days on San Cristóbal you will have seen everything you possibly can within walking distance of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno. To some people this might feel stifling or trapping, but I personally enjoyed the change of pace.

Our first course in the Galápagos was Island Biogeography, focused on the mechanics of island formation and how an island’s location and geography affect the species that move to and evolve on it. The Galápagos, with its extensive list of endemic species (‘endemic’ meaning that it is only found in a single area, in this case the Galápagos), is a prime location for learning these concepts. Our knowledge was also augmented by extensive field studies.

Santa Cruz is the most populated island on the Galápagos, with 15,000 people, and as such, it is generally considered the ‘main’ island, at least for tourism operations. The second day was focused more on the aquatic environment; we traveled to the northern end of the island and spent the day on a boat to North Seymour Island, a small island (less than 1 square mile in size!) just north of Santa Cruz. The rest of the second day and the first half of the third day, we essentially had to ourselves to explore Santa Cruz’s main town of Puerto Ayora.

After seven weeks on the Ecuadorian mainland, it was finally time for us to transfer to the Galápagos, where we would spend the remaining ten weeks of the semester. USFQ’s Galápagos campus is located on the island of San Cristóbal, the second most populous island in the archipelago. My first impressions of the Galápagos, upon arrival, reminded me in some ways of the arid parts of Hawai’i, where I grew up and still live; the mix of low, dry vegetation with rocky shores and sandy beaches was similar to parts of O’ahu in the dry summers. San Cristobal is estimated to have a population of around 7,000 people, the vast majority of whom live in a single town, Puerto Baquerizo Moreno.

Overall, I feel I am beginning to settle well into Ecuadorian life. The food is excellent, the people are nothing but kind and friendly, transport is cheap and easy to find, and the university is a vibrant campus with lots of student life. In any case, my host mother picked me up from the airport and drove me into town. Having arrived on Friday, I had the weekend to get to know the area before orientation and classes began on Monday. The university is located in Cumbayá, a neighborhood located about 30 minutes from central Quito. I had happened to arrive the day before Ecuador’s Independence Day, August 10th, so when Saturday came around my host mom took me with her relatives to observe the festivities. After the weekend, classes and orientations began. We also had several orientations concerned with the rules of the program and life in Quito. We were given a tour of the campus, which is probably a 10th of the size of Linfield, taking up about 1 and a half city blocks.

Exploring Ecuador's Diverse Ecosystems

After one week of Spanish classes, the “true” classes for our program in Ecuador began. While the Spanish classes had taken place the week before the official start of the semester, when we showed up to campus the next week it was completely packed! As someone in the ecology and evolution track, my first class was focused on Geographical Information Systems (GIS), a computer program that allows one to display and analyze data on maps for data visualization.

One of the first highlights of the trip for me was a climb up Rucu Pichincha, a 4,700-meter (15,400-foot) peak located immediately west of Quito. We accessed the trailhead by a cable car and proceeded to hike towards the peak. Fifteen thousand feet of elevation is no joke. Even though the trail itself was never particularly steep, the thin air wore us out quickly and 5 of the 8 people in our group ended up turning around before the peak.

We also traveled a short distance to visit the town of Otavalo, located about 2 hours or so north of Quito. A vibrant center of the traditional lands of the indigenous Otavalo Kichwa people, Otavalo is famed for its Saturday market. On busy days, the market can spread across a third of the city and is claimed to be the largest artisan market in South America. It certainly felt like it, as the stalls seemed to stretch on forever, no matter where you went. People were selling various goods ranging from basic souvenirs to handicraft jewelry and clothing, to expensive artisan sculptures and art pieces.

This first trip was to the Mindo cloud forest, a highland jungle area northwest of Quito. Because of the difficult mountain terrain around Quito, we had to take a roundabout way to the north to reach Mindo, but once we arrived we were blown away. Compared to Quito’s dry arid grasslands, the jungles of Mindo were a completely different world. One of the biggest things about Mindo was its great diversity of wildlife, so we kept our eyes peeled for various jungle animals and we were not disappointed. The most common and diverse animals we saw, however, were easily the birds. There were a wide array of tropical birds including toucans, trogons, and lots of hummingbirds. My friends and I also would make our own trips to the surrounding areas outside of class. Overall, the start of this second month in Ecuador was filled with a lot of travel and adventure in a welcome change of scenery from the mountainous dry terrain of Quito.

After our week in the Amazon, our Tropical Ecology course shifted focus from the Amazon rain forest to the mountainous highlands that surrounded Quito. The highlands of the northern Andes are known as the páramo, and are classified by low shrubs and grasses, high winds, and fluctuating temperatures, much like many other mountainous environments around the world. During this trip, we were based out of a mountain lodge on the slopes of Rumiñahui, a small mountain just north of the Cotopaxi volcano, arguably Ecuador’s most famous mountain. It was an older but very cozy place, and stayed nice and warm during the nights, when the temperatures would sometimes drop below freezing due to the altitude, dry climate, and high winds. Our fieldwork on-site consisted of soil sampling and observational work, using soil nutrient and chemical analysis devices to determine the quality and water-carrying capacity of the soil; the soils of the South American páramos also function as massive water reservoirs, meaning that they are extremely important to not only Ecuador’s natural ecosystems but its human residents as well. Overall, while the páramo trip might not sound quite as exciting as our week in the Amazon, I personally found it to be really interesting and enjoyable, with a lot of time to ourselves to explore this area of the Ecuadorian Andes on our own terms in addition to our class activities.

Our second main course was focused on Tropical Ecology, and our new professor’s approach was a very hands-on. In his opinion, the best way to study a complex tropical ecosystem like the Ecuadorian Amazon, was to go there ourselves and observe it in-person. So that was exactly what we did - spending five days deep in the Amazon rainforest, miles and miles from any major city. Our journey began at the Quito airport, where we took a 2-hour flight over the eastern cordillera of the Andes to a city known as Coca. From there, we embarked on a small motorboat that took us about 40 kilometers down the Río Napo. Due to a drought in the area, our captain had to navigate shallow waters that made the journey take an additional two hours. We then disembarked at an oil drilling company’s base camp. From the oil company camp, we rode by bus, which took us down an access road for another 50 kilometers and 2 hours (the road was unpaved and very windy) through the jungle. We then took yet another motorboat which took us the last 50 kilometers down the Río Tiputini to USFQ’s Tiputini Biodiversity Station, 3 hours later. After a full dawn-to-dusk day, we arrived at our destination. The next day, we went into the jungle. We spent the first day hiking and simply observing the incredible jungle, to get accustomed to the terrain, climate, and wildlife. As someone who grew up hiking in the jungles of Hawai’i, I thought I knew humidity, but nothing compares to the Amazon. The dense jungle foliage and multitude of dangerous spiders and insects were also a cause for concern, making hikes generally a strenuous experience. However, it was well worth it in the sheer variety of wildlife we saw - from tropical birds like macaws and the hoatzin to simians like the squirrel monkey and golden-mantled tamarin to aquatic mammals like the capybara and giant river otter. We even found prints from a jaguar, but never saw the animal itself. Our later days were focused on interactions between indigenous peoples living in the Amazon and the “outside world”. Many of the Amazonian tribes have only recently been connected to the industrial world (two tribes even remain uncontacted), which has led to many negative interactions with Ecuadorians. These range from personal disputes between tribespeople and outsider hunters and fishermen to manipulative contracts and agreements made by oil companies to allow drilling on tribal territory, with little given in return. At the end of our stay, we had a lot of time to reflect on our experience during the long journey back home.

A European Christmas Adventure

Ok, I know it’s actually merry Christmas, but after this trip, to my family, it will forever be merry chicken. There’s a lot to unpack from these last two weeks, both from my suitcase, and in this blog update, so get ready for a lot of randomness and cool photos that i stole from the two photographers of the family to use here. Our journey starts on December 18th when my family got to England. I met them at the bus station, and within 5 minutes, my mom had already gotten lost trying to navigate us to our hotel in Nottingham. We had a great dinner at a small pub right across the street from our hotel that had a dog. After 3 months with no dog, I finally got some puppy snuggles! We only spent approximately a day and a half in Nottingham, but I took my family around my University campus, to the Christmas market in the city centre, and to an experimental cocktail bar for dinner. Then on the 20th, we got up early to take a coach to London.

On to London! We arrived in the afternoon on the 20th, so it was already getting pretty dark. We dropped our stuff off at the hotel and took the tube into a more central spot in the city to walk around some Christmas markets and over a couple bridges. The next day was full of getting attacked by birds at Hyde Park and my mom, yet again, getting lost looking for landmarks. Then my sister and I split off from my parents because we went to two separate shows on the West End! My sister and I, like the true Americans we are, went to Hamilton, which was a truly amazing experience. The next day, my parents split off again to see all the tourist attractions they could while my sister and I took a more relaxed approach and went to Camden for the day to walk around the markets and have dinner. I found my London ring(s) at the Camden market, too. It is a really cool district within London and I’d highly recommend anyone who goes to London to stop over there for a little while. Our last day was basically spent waiting for our train to Paris. We stopped at a pub to have lunch.

Next stop, Paris! We arrived in Paris really late on the 23rd after taking the Eurostar, so we crashed, but the next day was Christmas Eve! Christmas Eve was one of the coolest days of the trip. We walked up a street that had some amazing places to get pastries and cheeses, so we stopped there to pick up some food for Christmas morning, and then went on a Seine river cruise at sunset. Some of the most beautiful pictures from the trip came from my sister and dad on this boat, and that was one of the prettiest sunsets I’ve ever seen.. Before we knew it, we were clinking glasses and saying Merry Chicken the next day! We had a very chill day on Christmas because few places in Paris are open on Christmas, so we opted for a breakfast in our hotel room with the food we picked up the day before, a walk to the Eiffel Tower, and a relaxed dinner. It was definitely a different Christmas than what I’m used to, but one of the best I’ve ever had. The day after Christmas was one of my favorite days of the trip, because my sister and I took a class on creating our own perfumes at a perfumerie in Paris! The atmosphere of the room felt very regal and we had a full immersive lesson on different smells and how to mix and match ones to create a scent we really liked to take home with us.

Brussels was next on our trip, and this was definitely an experience. Our first full day was full of chocolate. We attended a Belgian chocolate making class where we made a chocolate bar, some traditional Belgian chocolate circles, and truffles. As a baker, this was like a dream to me, and I had so much fun learning how to work with chocolate in a commercial space. Once we were done with that, we walked around one of the Christmas markets in the city center and I found two Brussels rings as well as a beautiful treble clef necklace. We also caught a light display of native art projected on buildings in the city center which was incredibly beautiful, especially as the sun began to set more. Our final day in Brussels, we went to the Atomium and had a bird’s eye view of Brussels along with another display of lights inside the museum. As a blind girl, colored light displays are one of my favorite things e…

tags: #coca #university #city #Ecuador #information