The capital of Ecuador; Also called: capital of Ecuador.
Capital and industrial city (textiles, chemicals, leather, gold, silver) of Ecuador, about 3,000 m/9,850 ft above sea level; It is on a plateau in the Andes, on the slopes of the volcano Pichincha, which last erupted 1666. It has a temperate climate all year round.
history
Quito was an ancient Indian settlement taken by the Incas in about 1470 and became the capital of the Inca Kingdom of Quito until it was captured by the Spanish in 1534. It is the oldest of the South American capitals.
features
Spanish colonial architecture with balconied houses and fountains, and churches with wooden sculptures; religious buildings occupy a quarter of the space in the city; 17th-century cathedral; the art school, established by Franciscans in 1535, led to the flourishing of religious art throughout the Spanish colonial period; the burial place of Antonio José de Sucre.