Quito’s Equatorial position meant that sunrise was at 5:56 a.m. and a sunset expected at 6:05 p.m. and varies very little over the year. The apparent movement of the sun between the two Tropics mean that shadows are short.
The view from the hotel room and the tour bus journey showed the geographical and morphological characteristics of the city. The whole region near the city is one of mountains and canyons with the altiplano (plateau) in between. This restricts outward growth, meaning the city has a linear pattern with suburbs extending upwards along wide and not very steep sided valleys.
We explored the streets of the old town with its basilicas and squares presently with little tourism. The Calle Ronda is a 17th century street lined with Colonial houses, many now are bars and restaurants.
The Iglesia y Convento de San Fransisco dates from 1535 and is the city’s oldest church.
The Iglesia de la Compania de Jesus has intricately carved volcanic rock attached to the façade of basalt and a richly decorated gold leaf interior.
In a suburb an hour out of town is La Mitad del Mundo which commemorates the Equator. We had lunch at a restaurant on the rim of an extinct volcano in sight of the park where the Equator is located. Modern GPS shows that the monument is 200m off, whereas the pre-Inca mountain top monument nearby is actually ‘bang on’.
