Historic Quito

My last visit to Quito in 2006 was so brief, all I really remember is a large, dirty city. That just shows how nice it is to have tour guides. Today we went to historic Quito. Muy interestante! There is a very large square and on one side is the ¨white house¨ where the president lives. On another corner is a church and government buildings and shops on other sides. In the middle is a large park. Now were not talking large like Central Park but large enough for crowds to gather, which apparently they do every weekend. Today there was a band playing, sponsored by the church and people were sitting on the church steps enjoying the music. Other crowds of people were walking up and down the streets and in and out of churches. What amazed me was that there was not much security for the president´s house. People were welcome to walk into the first part of the building, which we did, past security guards who reminded me of guards that stand watch in England, with their elaborate costumes and tourists taking pictures while the guards remainded expressionless.

The highlight of the day for me was the visit to the Society of Jesus Cathedral, founded by the Jesuits. It is the largest in Ecuador and the interior is completely made of gold.....the walls, columns, ceiling, altars, statues, etc. all covered in gold. Apparently the pope visited in 1985. Quite awe inspiring. And the paintings were on the scale of some that I saw in Italy. The irony is that it was completely built by indigenous artesans but indigenous people are not allowed to enter the cathedral. There is one huge painting depicting judegment day. In it all the people who are going to hell are indigenous and all the people walking through the gates of heaven are of spanish descent. Quite telling.