Sites of Interest: Old Town

Iglesia de La Merced

This church was constructed in the 17th century to symbolize and commemorate Pichincha's volcanic eruptions that had challenged the city and its occupants safety. The style is Baroque. Adjacent to the Church is Quito's most ancient clock located inside a Monastery built in 1817.The main altar of the Monastery has been elaborately carved in wood by Legarda.

Plaza Santo Domingo

A statue of Sucre pointing to his victory site on the slopes of Pichincha decorates this plaza at the southern corner of Old Town. Crowds often surround performance artists in front of the Iglesia Santo Domingo, which was begun in 1581 and finished in 1650. Four clock faces and an off- center tower decorate the stone facade. Despite the stained glass behind the altar, the decorative elements inside somehow don't seem to work together; the baroque filigree of the Chapel of the Rosary to one side is especially jarring.

La Compañia

Located on Calle Garcia Moreno, a block south of Plaza de la Independencia. It has rich décor and facades including a painting of Virgen Dolorosa framed in gold and emerald but as with other treasures it is stored in the Banco Central del Ecuador vaults and taken out only on special occasions or festivals under strict security supervision. Its the most beautiful and ornate church in the Americas. Seven tons of gold supposedly ended up on the ceiling, walls, and altars. As of late 2000, the church was undergoing major restoration, primarily of the extensive damage done by the 1987 earthquake.

Even the outside is overwhelming, crammed with full-size statues, busts, sculpted hearts, and a garden's worth of leaves carved in stone. The interior has eight side chapels, one of which houses the guitar and remains of Santa Mariana de Jesus. Some of the more expensive relics, including a painting of the Virgin framed with gold and precious stones, are locked away in a bank vault between festivals. One of the more eye-catching objects in La Compania is a painting depicting hell.

Monasterio EI Carmen Alto

This monastery at Rocafuerte and Garcia Moreno was the home of Santa Mariana de Jesus from 1618-1645. Abandoned children were once passed through a small window in the patio to be raised by the nuns. The Arco de La Reina (Queen's Arch) over Rocafuerte marks the original southern entrance to Quito's center.

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