City of Quito, Ecuador

Quito, the capital of Ecuador, was founded in the 16th century on the ruins of an Inca city and stands at an altitude of 2,850m. Despite the 1917 earthquake, the city has the best-preserved, least altered historic centre in Latin America. The monasteries of San Francisco and Santo Domingo, and the Church and Jesuit College of La Compañía, with their rich interiors, are pure examples of the 'Baroque school of Quito', which is a fusion of Spanish, Italian, Moorish, Flemish and indigenous art.

It was built for religious purposes in 1726 by José Jaime Ortiz. There are two arches formed from lime, which extend from the eastern edge of the convent of Carmen Antiguo to the western facade of an old chapel built at the San Juan de Dios Hospital.

The San Diego Cemetery is a cemetery located in the San Roque neighbourhood, in the Historic Centre of Quito, Ecuador. The cemetery was inaugurated in 1872, in an area where a number of soldiers had been buried after the Battle of Pichincha.

This Church is another example of a fusion of Spanish, Italian, Moorish and indigenous art. At the end of the XIX century the Italian religious mission eliminated the old baroque and replaced it with a sober and elegant neo-Gothic Renaissance style that is appreciated today. Inside is the El Rosario chapel, a magnificent expression of the Quito baroque from the 18th century. 

The site was assigned to the Augustinian order in 1573, when they began the construction of the convent. Later the church would be built between 1606 and 1617 by Juan del Corral, based on the plans that the architect Francisco Becerra designed in 1581.
Details on the roof reveal the neoclassical style in which Spanish and Amerindian decorative elements are mixing.

The devotion to the Virgin of Guadalupe has its home at the Church of Our Lady of Guápulo. Originally, the devotion was brought by Spanish conquistadors, and the design of the building is a clear product of the Baroque, with a wonderful Baroque and Mudejar-style interior. Inside the sacristy, you can see several paintings depicting the miracles of the Virgin by Colonial artist Miguel de Santiago.

The great majority of attributes upon which the Outstanding Universal Value of the City of Quito is based are present and intact. The Historic Centre of Quito has conserved its original configuration, with new constructions being built outside of the colonial centre. Indeed, based on the first plan of Quito designed in 1734 by Dionisio Alcedo y Herrera, one notes that the original plan of the streets, the blocks of houses and squares – with a few rare exceptions – is the same as can be seen today.

La Ronda is a beautiful street in the Historic Centre of the city. It is said to be one of the oldest streets in Quito and has been nicely restored, many crafts and local food are part of the charm of this wonderful place.