Ecuador - The Rough Guide to South America on a Budget - page 570

El Panecillo
Old Quito's skyline is dominated by the
40m-high statue of the Virgin de Quito , on
the hill known as El Panecillo (“little bread
loaf ”) to the southwest. It's not safe to
walk, so take a taxi (about $3 single from
the Old Town or $8 return including
waiting time). From the top, the view over
the city is spectacular and the close-up of
the statue with a chained dragon at her feet
is equally impressive. You can climb up the
statue for $1 (daily 9am-5pm).

Museo Fundación Guayasamín and
the Capilla del Hombre
Oswaldo Guayasamín is Ecuador's
most famous contemporary artist, and
Quito's Bellavista district, where he used
to live, houses two collections of his art.
he Museo Fundación Guayasamín
(Jose Bosmediano 543; Mon-Fri
10am-5pm; $3; W guayasamin.org)
exhibits many paintings as well as his
enormous collection of pre-Columbian
ceramics and colonial religious art. A
further ten-minute walk up the hill is
the far more impressive Capilla del
Hombre or “Chapel of Man” (Tues-Sun
10am-5.30pm; $3, or $2 with museum
entrance ticket), one of South America's
most important works of art. This was
Guayasamín's final great project,
initiated in his last years and not fully
completed until after his death in 1999.
From the museum you can walk up to
the garden of Guayasamín and see
where his ashes are buried under
the “Tree of Life”. Just up from the
Capilla del Hombre is the Parque
Metropolitano , Quito's largest park,
with forested trails, picnic areas and
sweeping views. There are occasional
buses up to Bellavista but it's best to
take a taxi ($2).

6

Basílica del Voto Nacional
Take Calle Venezuela uphill from Plaza
Grande to admire the gothic grandeur of
the Basílica del Voto Nacional (daily
9am-5pm; $2). Construction has taken
place over the past century, beginning in
1892. Instead of gargoyles, the church
has iguanas and Galápagos tortoises
protruding from its sides. Climbing the
steep stairs and ladders up the 115m
towers is unnerving, so take the lift if
you're afraid of heights. The views across
the city are fantastic.

Itchimbia Park and Cultural Centre
Perched high on a hill east of the Old
Town, this cultural centre inside the park
hosts occasional exhibitions, but the main
draw is the view and a chance to escape
the city on footpaths winding through
the extensive natural landscape. A taxi
from the Old Town costs $2-3.

Parque Carolina
The best place to relax in Quito's
New Town is Parque Carolina . This
is where locals come to walk, play
sports and eat. The park contains a
beautiful set of Botanical Gardens
(Tues-Sun 9am-5pm; $3.50), which
showcases Ecuador's biodiversity
with an array of plants and trees,
including more than five hundred
orchid species in greenhouses. Next
door, the Museo de Ciencias Naturales
(Mon-Fri 8.30am-4.30pm; $2) has
a huge collection of dead insects and
arachnids. The park also contains The
Vivarium (Tues-Sun 9.30am-5.30pm;
$2.50), with more than forty species
of reptiles including caimans, turtles
and snakes. The highlights are the
6m-long python and the boa
constrictor, which you can be
photographed holding ($3).

La Casa de la Cultura
Next to the Parque El Ejido in the
New Town, the large oval building of
La Casa de la Cultura (Patria between 6 de
Diciembre and 12 de Octubre; T 02 222
3392, W cce.org.ec) contains cinemas,
theatres, auditoriums and, of most
interest to tourists, the Museo del Banco
Central (Tues-Fri 9am-5pm, Sat & Sun
10am-4pm; $2). This is Ecuador's best
museum, with an astonishing collection
of pre-Columbian ceramics and artefacts
as well as colonial, republican and
modern art. The museum is divided into
four rooms: archeology, colonial art,
contemporary art and the Gold Room,
which displays a majestic Inca sun-mask,
the symbol of the Banco Central.