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Museo Nacional (Patria, e/Av. 6 de Diciembre y Av. 12 de Octubre, Quito) – founded by the Banco Central de Ecuador and currently managed by the local government’s Ministry of Culture, this museum has a vast collection of artifacts and artwork that span the history of Ecuador, from pre-Columbian (from figurines to gold masks), to […]

Museo Guayasamín (Bosmediano 543, Bellavista, Quito) – along with the befote-mentioned Capilla del Hombre, this museum houses the collection of renowned Ecuadorian artist Oswaldo Guayasamín (1919-1999). As a longtime political activist, many of his artworks displayed images of class division, political oppression, poverty and prejudice (including his best known painting “The Age of Anger”). Along […]

Museo del Banco Central Pumapungo (Calle Larga e/Arriaga y Huayna Capac, Cuenca) – along with a wing that displays more contemporary artworks at this museum’s street level, its upper level features a variety of ítems that reveal the country’s diverse cultures – from indigenous (Indian) to Afro-Ecuadorian (showing the little-known blacks from Esmeraldas province, who […]

Museo de las Culturas Aborígenes (Calle Larga 5-24, e/Hno. Miguel y Mariano Cueva, Cuenca) – this museum, located in provincial town of Cuenca, has over 5,000 archeological pieces from over 20 pre-Columbian Ecuadorian cultures (made of clay, bone, shells, stones, and wood) that go back some 15,000 years. Along with the exhibit areas, there’s a […]

La Merced (Calles Chile y Cuenca, Quito) – this 18th century church is known for its fascinating artwork (including paintings showing volcanoes erupting over colonial-era Quito). This is also another renowned church that went through periods of damage and restorations as a result of earthquakes that it weathered (in particular in 1660). A closer look […]

El Panecillo (Quito) – located south of the city, this 200-meter high volcanic hill overlooking Quito’s Old Town has a statue of the Virgin Mary at it summit (which is reminiscent of the Christ the Redeemer statue at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil). The Virgin Mary statue is 45 meters tall and is made of over […]

Basílica del Voto Nacional (Carchi 122, Quito) – this double-spired Gothic cathedral (built in 1920) is located in the historic center of Quito, and is said to be the largest such structure in the Western Hemisphere. Modeled on Paris’ Notre-Dame, the gargoyles used here are actually wildlife found in Ecuador: pumas, monkeys, penguins, tortoises, and […]