Municipality of Quito

Quito (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈkito] ; Quechua: Kitu), officially San Francisco de Quito, is the capital and second-largest city of Ecuador, with an estimated population of 2.8 million in its metropolitan area. It is also the capital of the province of Pichincha. Quito is located in a valley on the eastern slopes of Pichincha, an active stratovolcano in the Andes. Quito's elevation of 2,850 m (9,350 ft) makes it either the highest or the second highest capital city in the world. This varied standing is because Bolivia is a country with multiple capitals; if La Paz is considered the Bolivian national capital, it tops the list of highest capitals, but if Sucre is specified as the capital, then it is the second highest, behind Quito. Quito is the political and cultural center of Ecuador as the country's major governmental, administrative, and cultural institutions are located within the city. The majority of transnational companies with a presence in Ecuador are headquartered there. It is also one of the country's two major industrial centers—the port city of Guayaquil being the other one. The date of its first habitation is unknown, but archaeological evidence suggests that it was first settled by sedentary populations between 4400 and 1600 BC. In the late fifteenth century, the Inca Emperor Huayna Capac defeated the Quitu, the region's original inhabitants, and incorporated Quito into the Inca Empire, designating it into the capital of the Inca Empire's northern region. The Spanish conquest of the city in 1534 is the date most frequently cited as the city's official founding, making Quito the oldest capital in South America. Quito's historic center is among the largest and best-preserved in the Americas. In 1978, Quito and Kraków were the first World Cultural Heritage Sites declared by UNESCO. Quito is the capital city closest to the Equator, which runs through the northern part of the metropolitan area in the parish of San Antonio.

The Roman Catholic Metropolitan Archdiocese of Quito is the Catholic archdiocese in the capital city of Ecuador, Quito. It was established as the Diocese of Quito on 8 January 1545, before being elevated to archdiocese level on January 13, 1848 by Pope Pius IX.

La Iglesia de El Sagrario (Spanish, 'Church of the Sanctuary' or 'Church of the Shrine') is a Renaissance Catholic church in the city of Quito, capital of Ecuador. It is located in the Historic Center of the city, on calle García Moreno, formerly known as calle de las Siete Cruces, a few meters from the corner with calle Eugenio Espejo. It is part of the Metropolitan Cathedral complex, although it seems more like an independent church than an adjoining chapel, both because of its size and because of its importance in Quito's art.

The Church and convent of San Agustín is a Catholic temple located in the Historic Center of the city of Quito, run by the Augustinian Order. The complex of the temple and convent is located on calle Chile, between Guayaquil and Flores.

Teatro Bolívar is a theatre in Quito, Ecuador. It was established on 15 April 1933, with a capacity of 2400 spectators. It hosted many notable events, including the Miss Ecuador 1996 contest. In 1997, it underwent significant restoration, only to be plagued by fire two years later.

Centro Cultural Metropolitano (English: Metropolitan Cultural Center) is a cultural institution based in Quito, Ecuador. It was established in 1997 in a building which dates to 1622. This building belongs to the colonial epoch, but its facade was rebuilt in the 20th century. The First Central University was in this building. It also was a jail where Spanish authorities executed insurgents during the Ecuadorian War of Independence.

Sucre House (Spanish: Museo Casa de Sucre) is a museum in the historic center of Quito, Ecuador. It was established in 1977 by the Ministry of Defence. It is dedicated to the memory of its most famous occupants: the Venezuelan independence hero, Marshal Antonio José de Sucre, and his wife, Mariana Carcelén. The museum contains the personal belongings of the couple, including the original furniture that was occupied in the different rooms of the mansion, everyday items, and even maps and documents from the time of independence. The ground floor contains many of the weapons and military equipment owned by Sucre, while the second floor contains furniture and rooms as they would have appeared in his time.

The Church and Convent of San Ignacio de Loyola de la Compañía de Jesús de Quito, also known in the Ecuadorian people simply as La Compañía, is a Catholic clerical complex located on the corner formed by calles García Moreno and Sucre, in the Historic Center of the city of Quito, capital of Ecuador. The façade of its main temple is entirely carved in volcanic stone. Over time, this church has also been called: "Temple of Solomon of South America". Father Bernardo Recio, a traveling Jesuit, called it "Golden Ember". The complex includes the Residencia San Ignacio, "Mother House" of the Jesuits in Ecuador. During colonial times, this "Jesuit block" housed the Seminario San Luis, the Colegio Máximo, the University of San Gregorio Magno and the Mainas Missions Office. Since 1862, the Colegio San Gabriel functioned on the block. The church, and its rich internal ornamentation, completely covered with gold sheets, is one of the main tourist attractions in the city and an invaluable heritage, both artistic and economic, for the country. It was visited by Pope John Paul II, who presided over a mass in the church on January 30, 1985, within the framework of his three-day visit to Ecuador. It was also visited by Pope Francis on July 7, 2015, who prayed there before the image of Our Lady of Sorrows.

Alberto Mena Caamaño Museum (Spanish: Museo Alberto Mena Caamaño) is a museum in Quito, Ecuador. A cultural institution of Quito, the capital of Ecuador, it is located in the historic center of the city, next to the Palacio de Carondelet. The Rough Guide to Ecuador considers it to be the "old town's most rewarding museum".It was created by ordinance on May 28, 1957, following a donation from the aristocratic philanthropist Alberto Mena Caamaño. The donation included more than 600 objects including paintings, sculptures, archaeological pieces, weapons and miscellaneous items. After a restoration of the former Royal Barracks building, the museum opened to the public on November 3, 1959. In 1970 a permanent exhibition hall was added on a theme of the slaughter which occurred on August 2, 1810, when 200 citizens were killed in the barracks and the surrounding streets of Quito by royalist troops. It is depicted by wax figures of the artist Francisco Barbieri. In 1987 the museum had to close its doors due to minor damage to the building structure, as a result of the earthquakes that rocked Quito that year. Finally, on November 27, 2002, it reopened following extensive restoration.

The Quito Metropolitan Cathedral (Spanish: Catedral Metropolitana de Quito), is a Catholic cathedral in Quito, Ecuador. Located on the southwestern side of the Plaza de la Independencia (La Plaza Grande), it (and its predecessor building) served as a seat of the Diocese of Quito from 1545 until 1848 when it was elevated to Archdiocese. In 1995, it was elevated to the Cathedral of Ecuador, making it the seniormost Catholic church in the country.

San Francisco is a Quito Metro station. It was officially opened on 21 December 2022 as part of the inaugural section of the system between Quitumbe and El Labrador. The revenue service started on 2 May 2023 and discontinued on 11 May 2003. The station is located between La Alameda and La Magdalena.This is an underground station. It has five lifts, ten escalators, and the projected traffic is 69,000 passengers per day.The station is located in the historic center of Quito, in the eastern corner of Plaza San Francisco, at the intersection of Calle Sebastián de Benalcázar and Calle Sucre. One of the entrances has been made in a historic building.On 23 January 2023, the first train with 600 passengers to whom invitations were extended, arrived to the station.

The Basilica of Nuestra Señora de la Merced, is a Catholic temple located in the Historic Center of the city of Quito, capital of Ecuador. It is the first church and headquarters of the Mercedarian Order in the country, and for this reason it bears the title of Basilica. The white building has five domes, a square tower and is decorated with Inca and Arabic inscriptions. Construction began in 1701, the tower was completed in 1736, and the basilica was consecrated in 1737. The architect was José Jaime Ortiz. The main altarpiece was carved and built by Bernardo de Legarda between 1748 and 1751. The sacristy behind the chancel is a work from the early 19th century. In its sacristy as well as inside the Church, there are several works by the artist Víctor Mideros. It maintains one of the most important historical libraries in the city, both for its content and for its state of conservation. The library of La Merced unfolds on two floors of the north wing of the Convent and has access through the lower floor, as well as the upper one. Bookcases line the walls of both floors and are linked inside by a beautiful carved wooden spiral staircase. According to the inventory and cataloging carried out during the Library Conservation Project from 1994 to 1997, 22,000 volumes and more than 40,000 bibliographic records were counted. The Merced Library Conservation Project was financed by the Getty Conservation Institute and managed by the Caspicara Foundation of Quito. The Director of the Project was the renowned Document and Paper Restorer Marcos Rivadeneira Silva in the conservation area and Ángel Oleas in the Cataloging area.