Quito, Ecuador

Quito
Registered Sector: 
City of Quito
Location and site: 
Quito, located at about 2,800 m. above sea level, on two flanks of the Pichincha Volcano, is in the midst of the Andean landscape.
Historical Function: 
Politics and culture.
Administrative Status: 
National capital and chief city of the Province of Pichincha.
Historical Reference: 
  • Up until the time of the Spanish Conquest in 1532, the territory known as Equador today was part of the Great Inca Empire, known as Tahuantinsuyu. The city of San Francisco de Quito was founded on the ruins of the northern capital of this empire, established a century before this time, although the occupation of the site dates to much earlier.
  • As the capital of the province of Pinincha and the Episcopal See, San Francisco de Quito became the seat of royal audiences in 1563; this gave it political power over the other cities and villages under its protection. By the end of the 16th century, Quito was a crossroads for artistic influences and its art school was created. The layout of the city, which dates to that period, has been maintained to this day.
  • A precursor of other South American colonies, Quito proclaimed its independence in 1809. Until 1830, it was incorporated, along with Venezuela, into Great Columbia, and served as capital of its southern region.
  • The city has since expanded beyond the limits of its 19th- century colonial nucleus.
Urban Morphology: 
The historic area of Quito is 348 hectares in area. Its planners, who were well acquainted with the Andean world, succeeded in laying out the streets on its complex topography according to the "Law of the Indies," with blocks measuring 84 m. x 84 m., a central square at the heart of the city and a few secondary squares in carefully selected locations.

The regularity of Quito's plan accentuated the contrast between its monumental and domestic architecture. The central square is bordered by the Government Palace, the Municipal Palace, the Bishop's Palace and the Cathedral, and other religious buildings of the 16th to 18th centuries are spread throughout the city. The colonial dwellings, often constructed of adobe with sober whitewashed facades, are built around patios.

Registration Criteria: 
Since the 16th century, Quito has been the home of a powerfully original form of Baroque art that evoked both European influences (the mudejar tradition, the Gothic tradition, Mannerism) and Indian traditions. The Franciscans played a major role in the creation of this art. The Baroque of Quito exercised a profound influence on the evolution of forms in Latin America during the 17th and 18th centuries. (II) The urban ensemble of Quito is an eminent example of the colonial Spanish city of the 16th century. (IV)