Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands - Geodyssey

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Ecuador ê GUIDE 4 GEODYSSEY | ECUADOR T: 020 7281 7788 www.geodyssey.co.uk/ecuador
Ecuador ê GUIDE Quito Quito’s large, well preserved, historic centre of cobbled streets and impressive colonial buildings is the largest and most important in Latin America, and the first to be awarded the status of UNESCO World Heritage site. Directly on the equator, beneath towering volcanoes, Quito’s importance extends deep into prehistory. Quito was founded a thousand years ago as the centre of the Kingdom of Quito, an alliance of regional peoples whose earlier history is only now being uncovered, that eventually formed the northern part of the Incan empire. Razed in the conquest, Quito was reconstructed under the Spanish who built 40 churches and 16 convents and monasteries with cloisters, plazas, courtyards, chapter rooms and refectories. They combined European renaissance and baroque styles with indigenous and mestizo influences, often reusing Incan foundations and recycling fine Incan stone blocks. The result is a uniquely Andean capital, connecting centuries of changing civilisations. At the centre of the whitewashed walls and pan-tiled roofs of the Old City is the Plaza de la Independencia, a large and attractive square impressively surrounded by the four pillars of colonial society: the Cathedral, Presidential Palace, Archbishop’s Palace and Municipal Palace (now a modern replacement). With its well kept flower beds this bustling location makes a good place for the city’s well-to-do to congregate and talk, with a few having their shoes shined while they watch the world go by. Entering from the heat of the equatorial sunshine through huge carved doors into the cool dark interior of a colonial church in the Old City you are first met by the rich scent of incense from palo santo wood. The interior sparkles with hundreds of twinkling devotional candles. On approaching the central aisle a vast altar gilded in gold or silver leaf succeeds in its intention of instilling awe. The most ornate, the Church of La Compañía de Jesús, constructed by the Jesuits in 1605, has a lace-work façade of twisted columns, sacred hearts and cherubs carved in volcanic rock, while the inside was laden with a reputed 7 tonnes of gold leaf. One can only imagine the impact such temples made on local people whose worship of the sun was to be converted to the worship of the Christian deity. There are about a thousand private homes amid the fine religious and public buildings of the Old City. The most prestigious 19th century houses have three internal courtyards. The first, opening to the street, was used for receiving visitors and typically has a fountain in the centre. The second was for household chores such as drying the laundry, and the third was for livestock such as hens, guinea pigs and horses. For a glimpse inside one of these houses we recommend a visit to the highly decorated María Augusta Urrutia Museum. GEODYSSEY | ECUADOR T: 020 7281 7788 www.geodyssey.co.uk/ecuador 5
Page 1 and 2: GEODYSSEY Ecuador and the galapagos
Page 3: 06 Welcome This brochure on Ecuador
Page 7 and 8: Where to stay in Quito Quito has a
Page 9 and 10: Ecuador ê GUIDE Andes An extraordi
Page 11 and 12: Ecuador ê GUIDE The caldera of sev
Page 13 and 14: Haciendas and hotels for touring Th
Page 15 and 16: Ecuador ê GUIDE Amazon The best ra
Page 17 and 18: Where to stay in the Amazon Ecuador
Page 19 and 20: Ecuador ê GUIDE Pacific Another wo
Page 21 and 22: Ecuador ê GUIDE Practicalities Whe
Page 23 and 24: Ecuador ê PRIVATE GUIDED TOURING H
Page 25 and 26: Ecuador ê PRIVATE GUIDED TOURING P
Page 27 and 28: Ecuador ê PRIVATE GUIDED TOURING p
Page 29 and 30: Ecuador ê SMALL GROUP HOLIDAYS SMA
Page 31 and 32: Ecuador ê ACTIVE & ADVENTURE GUIDE
Page 33 and 34: Ecuador ê ACTIVE & ADVENTURE Cotop
Page 35 and 36: Ecuador ê BIRDWATCHING HOLIDAYS Bi
Page 37 and 38: Ecuador ê BIRDWATCHING HOLIDAYS Bi
Page 39 and 40: Specialist Birdwatching Modules The
Page 41 and 42: The Galápagos Islands ê GUIDE Gal
Page 43 and 44: The Galápagos Islands ê GUIDE res
Page 45 and 46: 0 O FERNANDINA Metres 1200 900 600
Page 47 and 48: The Galápagos Islands ê GALÁPAGO

Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands - Geodyssey

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