Centro Historico

Today, our guide was Gustavo and he took us to Centro Historico, the historic center of Quito.  On the way from the parking structure, we walked down some of the historic streets which are narrow cobblestoned avenues.


Here's a close-up of the ancient cobblestone street.

In the photos below you can  see some of the indigenous Ecuadoran people in their colorful ethnic clothing.

 

The photo below is a shot of a restaurant entrance located on one of the historic streets. This is very typical of a retail storefront in this area.



Centro Historico is considered the best preserved colonial region of the Americas offering stunning architecture built from the 16th century.  It has places of volcanic material, great republican buildings, monasteries, convents, churches that adorn the Baroque and Gothic aesthetics and is home to museums filled with representations of its history. The architecture embodies the history of Quito while conserving modern customs housing the daily life of its inhabitants.

Many identify the Plaza Grande as the hub of the historic center.  Home to many attractions such as the Cathedral, the Municipal Palace, and the Presidential Palace the Plaza Grande serves as a place full of history for the people of Quito and for visitors interested in seeing what surrounds the rich Quito culture.  Here are pictures of some of the building that surround the Plaza.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is the entrance to a building off the Plaza.  Notice the decorative rectangular shape?

This is a close-up of the rectangle.  The rocks are outlined with bones!

 This is the building that has that beautiful rock/bone entryway.

 Inside the building is this courtyard where Gustavo took our picture.

From the Plaza you have this splendid view of all the buildings that surround the Plaza.

This is one of the sculptures at the base of the tall statue.

Quito is home to some of thee most beautiful churches decorated with stunning baroque and gothic details.  Among the most popular, church and plaza de la Merced is a perfect example of the baroque and gothic aesthetic that encompasses the city, which is decorated with masterpieces by Bernardo de Lagarda and Miguel de Santiago.

The Church of the Society of Jesus

In Spanish: La Iglesia de la Compania de Jesus, known colloquially as la Compania. This is a Jesuit church and among the best-known churches in Quito because of its large central nave, which is profusely decorated with gold leaf, gilded plaster and wood carvings.  Inspired by two Roman Jesuit churches, la Compania is one of the most significant works of Spanish Baroque architecture in South America.  it is Quito's most ornate church and (according to some obsservers) the country's most beautiful.

The carvings of the La Compania's main façade were executed entirely of Ecuadorian andesite stone. While the structure of the church reveals the Renaissance influence, that of the façade reflects the dynamism of the 18th century Baroque, instigated by Bernini's Solomonic columns of the Baldachin of the Basilica of Saint Peter in Rome.  La Compania's columns, statues and larger details were executed in the quarry which the Jesuits had in the Hacienda de Yurac.  The rest of the material was brought from a quarry on the western slopes of el Panecillo, adjacent to the city.  That façade has more of the Italian Baroque than of the Spanish Plateresque and, with its high pilasters, a certain accent of the French Baroque.

 

 

 



Over the 160 years of its construction, the architects of La Compania incorporated elements of four architectural styles, although the Baroque is the most prominent.  Mudejar (Moorish) influence is seen in the geometrical figures on the pillars; the Churrigueresque characterizes much of the ornate decoration, especially in the interior walls; finally the Neoclassical style adorns the Chapel of Saint Mariana de Jesus (in early years a winery).

The floor plan of la Compania makes a Latin Cross, with central, northern and southern arms; it has the conventional nave, transept, crossing, presbytery, antechamber to the sacristy, sacristy, and chapel. The central nave is topped by an 85-foot high barrel vault constructed of pumice and brick. This vault is decorated with plaster, polychrome and Medejar figures in gold leaf. The skyline is capped by two green and gold domes. Photos were not permitted inside the church (they were holding a church service while we were there) so the pictures below I pulled off the Internet.  This truly was an amazing array of gold ... everywhere you turned, gold ... gold to the left, gold to the right, gold looking up, good looking down ... literally, you couldn't turn without seeing gold covering everything.

 

 

 

 

 

Gary took these photos of Gustavo and me as we were walking about the plaza.

The large statue below is right in the middle of the Plaza.

 

 Psalms 119:126-127
126 It is time for the LORD to act, for they have broken Your law. Therefore I love Your commandments above gold, yes, above fine gold.