El Panecillo (Quito) – located south of the city, this 200-meter high volcanic hill overlooking Quito’s Old Town has a statue of the Virgin Mary at it summit (which is reminiscent of the Christ the Redeemer statue at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil). The Virgin Mary statue is 45 meters tall and is made of over […]
Basílica del Voto Nacional (Carchi 122, Quito) – this double-spired Gothic cathedral (built in 1920) is located in the historic center of Quito, and is said to be the largest such structure in the Western Hemisphere. Modeled on Paris’ Notre-Dame, the gargoyles used here are actually wildlife found in Ecuador: pumas, monkeys, penguins, tortoises, and […]
Ecuador, located in a northwest region of South America, has a rich history that goes back to pre-Columbian times, when much of that country was part of the Inca Empire. All that changed when Spanish conquistadores (led by explorer Francisco Pizarro) invaded Ecuador in 1531. During the early part of Spanish colonial rule, Ecuador was […]