Indigenous resistance to the Spanish invasion continued during 1534, with Diego de Almagro founding Santiago de Quito (in present day Cola, near Riobamba) on August 15, 1534, later to be renamed San Francisco de Quito on August 28, 1534. The city was later moved to its present location and was refounded on 6 December 1534 by 204 settlers led by Sebastián de Benalcázar, who captured Rumiñahui and effectively ended any organized resistance. Rumiñahui was then executed on January 10, 1535. On March 14, 1541, Quito was declared a city and on February 14, 1556, was given 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 royal audiencia (administrative district) of Spain and became part of the Viceroyalty of Peru with its capital in Lima (see Real Audiencia de Quito).
As with other places colonized by the Christian Spanish invaders, the colonizers promptly established Roman Catholicism in Quito. The first church (El Belén) was in fact built even before the city had been officially founded. In January 1535, the San Francisco Convent was constructed, the first of about 20 churches and convents built during the colonial period. The Spanish forcibly converted the indigenous population to Christianity and used them as slave labor for construction. The Diocese of Quito was established in 1545 and was elevated to the Archdiocese of Quito in 1849.
In 1809, after nearly 300 years of Spanish colonization, Quito was a city of about 10,000 inhabitants. On August 10, 1809, a movement was started in Quito that aimed for political independence from Spain. On that date, a plan for government was established that placed Juan Pío Montúfar as president with various other prominent figures in other positions of government. However, this initial movement was ultimately defeated on August 2, 1810, when Imperial troops came from Lima, Peru, and killed the leaders of the uprising along with about 200 inhabitants of the city. A chain of conflicts concluded on May 24, 1822, when Antonio José de Sucre, under the command of Simón Bolívar, led troops into the Battle of Pichincha. Their victory marked the independence of Quito and the surrounding areas.
Just days after the Battle of Pichincha, on May 24, 1822, the leaders of the city proclaimed their independence and allowed the city to be annexed to the Republic of Gran Colombia. Simón Bolívar went to Quito on June 16, 1822, and was present at the signing of the Colombian Constitution on June 24, 1822. When the Gran Colombia dissolved in 1830, Quito became the capital of the newly formed Republic of Ecuador.
In Ecuador, cantons are subdivided into parishes. These subdivisions are called parishes because they were originally used by the Catholic Church, but, along with the secularization and liberalization of the Ecuadorian state, the political parishes were spun off the ones used by the church. Parishes are called urban if they are within the boundaries of the seat (capital) of their corresponding canton, and rural if they are outside of those boundaries. Inside Quito (the city proper), the way in which the city is subdivided into urban parishes depends on the organizations which use those parishes (e.g., the municipality, the electoral tribunals, the postal service, the Ecuadorian statistics institute). The urban parishes of different types are not necessarily coterminous nor the same in number or name.
As of 2008, the municipality of Quito divided the city into 32 urban parishes. These parishes, which are used by the municipality for administrative purposes, are also known as cabildos since 2001. Since the times of the Metropolitan District of Quito, parishes of this type are also grouped into larger divisions known as municipal zones (zonas municipales). These parishes are as follows:Belisario QuevedoCarcelénCentro HistóricoChilibuloChillogalloChimbacalleCochapambaComité del PuebloConcepciónCotocollaoEl CondadoEl IncaGuamaníIñaquitoItchimbíaJipijapaKennedyLa ArgeliaLa EcuatorianaLa FerroviariaLa LibertadLa MenaMagdalenaMariscal SucrePonceanoPuengasíQuitumbeRumipambaSan BartoloSan JuanSolandaTurubamba
Electoral urban parishes are used by the Consejo Nacional Electoral (CNE) (until the 2008 Ecuadorian constitution known as Tribunal Supremo Electoral (TSE)) and by the Tribunal Electoral de Pichincha (TEP) in order to distribute vote ballots and count electoral votes. Unlike rural parishes, urban parishes do not have and do not elect a junta parroquial (parochial committee/junta). Within each of these parishes, there are one or more schools in which elections take place, typically on Sundays. As of the 2009 Ecuadorian referendum, there were 19 urban parishes of this type, as follows:AlfaroBenalcázarChaupicruzChillogalloCotocollaoEl SalvadorGonzález SuárezGuápuloLa FlorestaLa LibertadLa MagdalenaLa VicentinaSan BlasSan MarcosSan RoqueSan SebastiánSanta BarbaraSanta PriscaVilla FloraLater in 2008, the relatively small González Suárez parish was removed from the list, prior to the 2009 elections.
Because Quito is about 40 km (24.85 miles) long and 5 km (3.1 miles) at its widest, most of the important avenues of the city extend from north to south. 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. Because of the hills and the city's curved shape, a grid pattern is extremely difficult to imply. The historic centre of the city is based on a grid pattern, despite the hills, with the streets Venezuela, Chile, García Moreno, and Guayaquil being the most important.
Mariscal Sucre International Airport (IATA airport code: UIO) serves as the city's principal airport for passenger travel and freight. Its runway is 3,120 metres long and is capable of handling many types of large aircraft. The main terminal is located on Avenue Amazonas. The airport is located 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) north of the city's centre, within driving distance to the main business center. Because of tall buildings and fog at night, landing from the south is not as easy as at many other airports. Its domestic flights go to Guayaquil, Cuenca, Lago Agrio, Coca, Tarapoa, Esmeraldas, Manta, Portoviejo, Macas, Tulcán, and many others. Flights to the Galápagos Islands are reached via Guayaquil. Several international airlines have offices in Quito; most of them are around Avenue Amazonas. The airport provides international connections to Madrid, Amsterdam, New York, Atlanta, Houston, Miami, Bogotá, Medellín, Cali, Lima, Santiago, Panama City, San José, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, and many others. The construction of a new airport in the rural parish of Tababela, in the adjacent valley outside the city limits, began in 2006 and will be finished by 2011. The Mariscal Sucre International Airport will then become a big park.
This monumental basilica is the most important neo-Gothic architecture in Ecuador and one of the most representative of the American continent, which at the time is the largest in the New World. It is located in the downtown of the city of Quito, in the streets Carchi and Venezuela next to the Convent of los padres Oblatos. This religious church was built to commemorate the consecration of the Ecuadorian State to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, held under the presidency of Gabriel García Moreno in 1873. It is 115 m high and consists of 24 internal chapels representing the provinces of Ecuador. This sanctuary was inaugurated and blessed by Pope John Paul II during his visit to Ecuador on 18 January 1985.
One detail that distinguishes the work is replacing the traditional gargoyles for reptiles and amphibians typical of the Ecuadorian fauna; also rose windows represent the flora of Ecuador. At the highest point of the main tower one can see the city and surrounding mountains. The central nave of the church is 140 m long, 35 meters wide and 30 meters high in which are arranged 14 bronze images that represent 11 apostles and 3 evangelists. Throughout the history of its construction several contributions were made for the completion of the construction; Father Oblatos donated the land on which the Basilica stands, to proceed with the construction were accepted donations from believers who provided stones in exchange for recording their names on them. In 1985, the government introduced a tax on purchases of salt to continue the construction and completion of construction was achieved after several generations of stonemason dedicates their lives to build each wall of the enclosure. Another attraction of the Basilica del Voto Nacional is the pantheon of presidents of Ecuador.
The Metropolitan Cathedral, due its location in the heart of the historic city and its status as the main church of the city, is one of the largest religious symbols of spiritual value for the Catholic community in the city. This church began its construction in 1562, seventeen years after the diocese of Quito was created (1545). The church building was completed in 1806, during the administration of President of the Real Audiencia Baron Héctor de Carondelet. One of the events that took place in this cathedral was the murder of the Bishop of Quito, José Ignacio Checa y Barba, who during the mass of Good Friday on 30 March 1877 was poisoned with strychnine dissolved in the consecrate wine. The cathedral is also the burial place of the remains of the Grand Marshall Antonio José de Sucre and also of several presidents of the Republic, as well as of bishops and priests who died in the diocesis. The cathedral is located on the south side of the Plaza de La Independencia.
The Church of La Compañía began its construction in 1605, it took 160 years to be built. For 1765 the work was completed with the construction of the facade. This was done by Native Americans who carefully shaped the Baroque style in one of the most complete examples of this art in the Americas. For 1767 the church was closed because of the expulsion of the Jesuits in Ecuador. Forty years later in 1807, was reopened by the Chilean Friar Camilo Henríquez, of the order of Buenamuerte, who later took part in the fights for independence of his country.
This church is inspired by the Church of the Gesu in Rome, Italy. The columns are a copy of those made by Bernini in the Vatican. Inside, it has altarpieces and pulpits covered with gold leaf. In the altarpiece, designed by Legarda, has taken over as the main reason for the composition of the facade the twisted columns and the cornices that stretch to the center in arch, and has become complete the colorful set, in a crown supported by angels. The church is located between the streets García Moreno and Antonio José de Sucre. 140 years after the earthquake that destroyed the bell tower of the Church of la Compañía de Jesús, the Municipality of Quito began re-building the bell tower of 45 meters, which have the same characteristics with which it had before.
San Francisco, is the largest of the existing architectural ensembles in the historic centres of cities in Latin America. The construction of the church began in 1550, on land adjacent to the plaza where the Native Americans engaged in the barter of products. The work was led by the Flemish Franciscan Jodoco Rique. The church finally completed around 1680 is the harmonious result of Mudéjar, Mannerist and Baroque influences. The Franciscan friars were the first who settled in Quito. Highlights the main altar, side chapels and the pulpit. In the main altar is the image of the Virgin of Quito, sculpted by Bernardo de Legarda, a master of the Quito School.
A legend has it that an Indian surnamed Cantuña pledged to build the porch of this church; being loss be made a pact with the Devil . This in return, asked for his soul and Cantuña accepted. The little devils started the construction that lasted one night. Accomplished the mission, Cantuña prayed to the Virgin to save him from being taken by the devil, and when Lucifer came for the soul of Cantuña, found to be missing a stone to place and for that reason, the pact was nullified. In this way saved his soul.
The church is located at the intersection of Benalcázar, Bolívar, Sucre and Cuenca. Is one block ahead of the church of La Compañía de Jesús.
In colonial times, the Church of El Sagrario was one of the largest architectural bastions of Quito. The construction of the Italian Renaissance style and built in the late 17th century, has a screen that stand its sculptures and decorations. This structure was built by Bernardo de Legarda. Its central arch leads to a dome decorated with frescoes of biblical scenes featuring archangels, work by Francisco Albán. The altarpiece was gilded by Legarda. It is located on Calle García Moreno, near the Cathedral.
El Panecillo is a hill located in the middle west of the city at an altitude of about 3,016 metres (9,895 ft) above sea level. A monument to the Virgin Mary is located on top of El Panecillo and is visible from most of the city of Quito. In 1976, the Spanish artist Agustín de la Herrán Matorras was commissioned by the religious order of the Oblates to build a 41 metres (135 ft)–tall aluminum monument of a madonna, which was assembled on a high pedestal on the top of Panecillo. Made of approximately 7,000 pieces of aluminum, the monument was inaugurated on March 28, 1976, by the 11th archbishop of Quito, Cardinal Pablo Muñoz Vega.
The figure stands on top of a globe, standing on top of a chained snake, symbolizing her triumph over evil (classic Madonna iconography). What is not so traditional, however, is her wings. The monument was inspired by the famous "Virgen de Quito" (Quito's Madonna), also known as "the dancer" sculpted by Bernardo de Legarda in 1734, which now decorates the main altar at the Church of St. Francisco. This Madonna represents a turning point of the Quito School of Art (one of the most renowned of the Americas) because it shows a figure with great movement (practically dancing), which is in contrast to the traditional static Madonnas produced during the 18th century.
La Carolina is a 165.5-acre (670,000 m²) park in the centre of the Quito main business area, bordered by the avenues Río Amazonas, de los Shyris, Naciones Unidas, Eloy Alfaro, and de la República. This park started from the expropriation of the farm La Carolina in 1939. The design of the park was made by the Dirección Metropolitana de Planificación Territorial (DMPT). Pope John Paul II headed a great mass in the park during his visit to Ecuador in 1985. A giant cross has been built in this place.
Quiteños gather at La Carolina mostly on weekends to play soccer, basketball, and ecua-volley (an Ecuadorian variation of volleyball with less emphasis on spiking, which allows more of a throw). Some of the other activities are aerobics, kite flying, running, snacking, and people watching. The southern part of the park has a small pond where paddle boats can be rented and a skatepark for bicyclists and skateboarders. Artists are known to perform on weekends at the park. In the western part of the park, visitors will find the Quito Exhibition Center with different exhibits every month, the Quito botanical gardens, and a Vivarium.
La Carolina more or less resembles New York City's Central Park, since both La Carolina and Central Park are surrounded by tall buildings in relation to the area of both parks.
The Aerial tramway Station at Cruz Loma (part of the Pichincha mountain complex at about 4,000 metres (13,000 ft)). Since July 2005, Quito has had an aerial tramway, known as the "Telefériqo", from the city centre to the hill known as Cruz Loma on the east side of the Pichincha volcano. The ride takes visitors to an altitude of about 4,100 metres (13,500 ft) where they find a number of restaurants, coffee shops, and a variety of stores. There are also trails for hiking and areas where pictures can be taken of Quito. Because of the increased altitude and the wind on the mountain, it is considerably cooler.
Besides the aerial tramway to Cruz Loma, the Telefériqo as a whole is a visitor centre that includes an amusement park (Vulqano Park), fine-dining restaurants, Go Karts, Paint Ball, shopping malls, an extensive food court, and other attractions.
La Mitad del Mundo (the middle of the world) is a small village administered by the prefecture of the province of Pichincha, 35 kilometres (22 mi) north of Quito. The village features a large monument, built on the site where the equator was thought to have crossed in the early 1980s. There is also a museum that contains a model of Quito, a planetarium, various exhibits, several restaurants, an open arena that is occasionally used for folkloric-dance performances, and a small chapel where couples can marry with one spouse standing in the northern hemisphere and the other in the southern. It has since been determined, with the use of Global Positioning System technology, that the actual equator is some 240 metres (790 ft) north of the monument area.
Pululahua Geobotanical Reserve, located a few miles northwest from La Mitad del Mundo, contains the Pululahua volcano, whose caldera (crater) is visible from a spot easily accessible by car. It is believed to be one of only a few in the world with human inhabitants.
Quito Zoo, located near the rural parish of Guayllabamba, about 20 kilometres (12 mi) outside Quito, has the biggest collection of native fauna in Ecuador, including several kinds of animals that are sometimes targeted in Ecuador in the illegal fur trade.
Some of the other nearby natural attractions are:Cotopaxi National ParkMindo Nambillo cloud forestIlliniza volcanoPasochoa Wildlife RefugePichincha (Rucu & Guagua) volcanoes
Quito is the home city of six prominent football clubs in Ecuador. Domestically, the city's top three club (El Nacional, Deportivo Quito and LDU Quito) have won a combined 26 national championships, which accounts for over half of all championships won. Deportivo Quito were the first Quito team to play in the league championship (in 1960, 3 years before El Nacional and LDU), they were also the first out of the big three to win the title. El Nacional have won the joint most Serie A titles with 13 championships (tied with Barcelona of Guayaquil). LDU Quito is the only Ecuadorian club to have won 4 international titles.