VIRGEN DE EL PANECILLO

The Spanish artist Agustín de la Herrán Matorras began the construction of the statue of the Virgin of Quito on November 4, 1955 and it was inaugurated on March 28, 1975. According to some, the real name of this Virgin is Shungoloma, which means "the hill of the heart". Previously, a temple of worship to the Sun was built on this site. This winged Virgin from Spain, carved in stone and decorated with some 7,000 aluminum plates, protects the city. It is a large-scale reproduction of Bernardo de Legarda's 18th-century Virgin of Quito, which stands in the church of San Francisco and is 45 m high. Standing on the globe, with a snake at her feet, symbolizing evil, she spreads her wings over the capital as a sign of protection. The bad tongues say that it turns its back on the south of the city, i.e. on the poorest part of the city. The real interest of this visit is not the virgin itself, but rather the exceptional panoramic view that one discovers from the top of Panecillo. In addition, many craft stands and some stalls to eat on the go have been set up on the site.

Be careful: it is strongly advised to go there by car, because the road that leads to the top of Panecillo crosses districts where tourists are not necessarily welcome, except to be used as a target for thieves. The taxi ride costs between 3 and 5 US$ from downtown.