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80-501: Quito ( Spanish pronunciation: [ˈkito] ; Quechua : Kitu ), officially San Francisco de Quito , is the capital of Ecuador , with an estimated population of 2.8 million in its metropolitan area. It is also the capital of the province of Pichincha . Quito is located in a valley on the eastern slopes of Pichincha , an active stratovolcano in the Andes . Quito's elevation of 2,850 m (9,350 ft) makes it either

160-448: A festive people, and rattles were a way for women to make music as they walked. Excavations of tombs show the Quitu believed in an afterlife. Grave goods, including drink and food, were buried with them for their use in the afterlife. Essentially the Quitu were an agricultural people, seen as a "pueblo alegre y festivo" (happy and festive people). They are not known for any association with

240-1043: A fourth, a northern or Peruvian branch. The latter causes complications in the classification, however, as various dialects (e.g. Cajamarca–Cañaris , Pacaraos , and Yauyos ) have features of both Quechua I and Quechua II, and so are difficult to assign to either. Torero classifies them as the following: Willem Adelaar adheres to the Quechua I / Quechua II (central/peripheral) bifurcation. But, partially following later modifications by Torero, he reassigns part of Quechua II-A to Quechua I: Ancash (Huaylas–Conchucos) Alto Pativilca–Alto Marañón–Alto Huallaga Yaru Wanka (Jauja–Huanca) Yauyos–Chincha (Huangáscar–Topará) Pacaraos Lambayeque (Cañaris) Cajamarca Lincha Laraos Kichwa ("Ecuadorian" or Highlands and Oriente) Chachapoyas (Amazonas) Lamas (San Martín) Ayacucho Cusco Puno (Collao) Northern Bolivian (Apolo) Southern Bolivia Santiago del Estero Landerman (1991) does not believe

320-649: A people during a period regional states, known as the late intermediate, long before the Inca conquered the territory or the Spanish explorers arrived in the early 16th century to conquer the city. The Quitu traded with the Yumbo , a tribe that lived northwest of this area. The Yumbo had networks that reached from the Andes west to the coast. The Quitu grave goods showed that they had acquired valuable Spondylus shells. These were harvested by

400-535: A reference point, the overall degree of diversity across the family is a little less than that of the Romance or Germanic families, and more of the order of Slavic or Arabic . The greatest diversity is within Central Quechua, or Quechua I, which is believed to lie close to the homeland of the ancestral Proto-Quechua language. Alfredo Torero devised the traditional classification, the three divisions above, plus

480-574: A significant influence on other native languages of the Americas, such as Mapuche . It is difficult to measure the number of Quechua speakers. The number of speakers given varies widely according to the sources. The total in Ethnologue 16 is 10 million, primarily based on figures published 1987–2002, but with a few dating from the 1960s. The figure for Imbabura Highland Quechua in Ethnologue , for example,

560-578: A true genetic classification is possible and divides Quechua II so that the family has four geographical–typological branches: Northern, North Peruvian, Central, and Southern. He includes Chachapoyas and Lamas in North Peruvian Quechua so Ecuadorian is synonymous with Northern Quechua. Quechua I (Central Quechua, Waywash ) is spoken in Peru's central highlands, from the Ancash Region to Huancayo . It

640-459: Is 300,000, an estimate from 1977. The missionary organization FEDEPI, on the other hand, estimated one million Imbabura dialect speakers (published 2006). Census figures are also problematic, due to under-reporting. The 2001 Ecuador census reports only 500,000 Quechua speakers, compared to the estimate in most linguistic sources of more than 2 million. The censuses of Peru (2007) and Bolivia (2001) are thought to be more reliable. Additionally, there

720-691: Is a secondary division in Quechua II between the grammatically simplified northern varieties of Ecuador, Quechua II-B, known there as Kichwa , and the generally more conservative varieties of the southern highlands, Quechua II-C, which include the old Inca capital of Cusco . The closeness is at least in part because of the influence of Cusco Quechua on the Ecuadorean varieties in the Inca Empire. Because Northern nobles were required to educate their children in Cusco, this

800-455: Is an unknown number of speakers in emigrant communities. There are significant differences among the varieties of Quechua spoken in the central Peruvian highlands and the peripheral varieties of Ecuador, as well as those of southern Peru and Bolivia. They can be labeled Quechua I (or Quechua B, central) and Quechua II (or Quechua A, peripheral). Within the two groups, there are few sharp boundaries, making them dialect continua . However, there

880-461: Is built on a long plateau lying on the east flanks of the Pichincha volcano. The valley of Guayllabamba River where Quito lies is flanked by volcanoes, some of them snow-capped, and visible from the city on a clear day. Quito is the closest capital city to the equator . Quito's altitude is listed at 2,820 m (9,250 ft). Quito's closest volcano is Pichincha , looming over the western side of

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960-405: Is nowadays used mostly for tourism. A 23 km (14 mi) metro subway system ( Quito Metro ) began construction with Phase One begun in 2013, entailed the construction of stations at La Magdalena and El Labrador. Phase Two, begun in 2016, involves 15 stations, a depot and sub-systems. The project is expected to carry 400,000 passengers per day and to cost $ 1.5 billion with financing coming from

1040-455: Is referred to as summer; the wet season , September through May (9 months), is referred to as winter. Annual precipitation, depending on location, is over 1,000 mm (39 in). Due to its altitude, Quito receives some of the greatest solar radiation in the world, sometimes reaching a UV Index of 24 by solar noon under clear skies. The fact that Quito lies almost on the equator means that high pressure systems are extremely rare. Pressure

1120-445: Is stable, so very low pressure systems are also rare. From 1 July 2010 to 30 June 2011 the lowest pressure recorded was 998.2 hPa (29.48 inHg), and the highest was 1,015.2 hPa (29.98 inHg). Despite the absence of high pressure, Quito can still experience settled weather. Generally, the highest pressure is around midnight and the lowest in the mid-afternoon. Quito is divided into three areas, separated by hills: Quito

1200-655: Is the largest city in contribution to national GDP, and the highest in per capita income. Quito has the highest level of tax collection in Ecuador, exceeding the national 57% per year 2009, currently being the most important economic region of the country, as the latest "study" conducted by the Central Bank of Ecuador. The top major industries in Quito includes textiles, metals and agriculture, with major crops for export being coffee, sugar, cacao, rice, bananas and palm oil. Petroecuador ,

1280-426: Is the most diverse branch of Quechua, to the extent that its divisions are commonly considered different languages. Quechua II (Peripheral Quechua, Wamp'una "Traveler") This is a sampling of words in several Quechuan languages: Quitu culture The Quitu or Quillaco were Pre-Columbian indigenous peoples in Ecuador who founded Quito , which is the capital of present-day Ecuador . This people ruled

1360-836: Is the seat of the Government of the Republic of Ecuador , located in the historic center of Quito. The palace overlooks the bustling public space known as Independence Square or Plaza Grande (colonial name), together with the Archbishop's Palace, the Municipal Palace, the Hotel Plaza Grande and the Metropolitan Cathedral. During the Republican era almost all the presidents (constitutional, internees and dictators) have governed from

1440-525: Is to the south of the capital's current center, on an area of 320 ha (790 acres), and one of the most important historic areas in Latin America. There are about 130 monumental buildings (which host a variety of pictorial art and sculpture, mostly religiously inspired, in a multi-faceted range of schools and styles), and 5,000 properties registered in the municipal inventory of heritage properties. Palacio de Carondelet (Spanish: Palacio de Carondelet )

1520-750: The Chavín and Wari civilizations. Quechua had already expanded across wide ranges of the central Andes long before the expansion of the Inca Empire . The Inca were one among many peoples in present-day Peru who already spoke a form of Quechua, which in the Cuzco region particularly has been heavily influenced by Aymara , hence some of the characteristics that still distinguish the Cuzco form of Quechua today. Diverse Quechua regional dialects and languages had already developed in different areas, influenced by local languages, before

1600-481: The Marcist Revolution began. In 1875 the country's president, Gabriel García Moreno , was assassinated in Quito. Two years later, in 1877, Archbishop José Ignacio Checa y Barba was killed by poison while celebrating Mass in Quito. In 1882, insurgents rose up against the regime of dictator Ignacio de Veintimilla . However, this did not end the violence that was occurring throughout the country. On 9 July 1883,

1680-464: The Quito Revolt . On 10 August 1809, a movement was again started in Quito to win independence from Spain. On that date a plan for government was unveiled, which appointed Juan Pío Montúfar as president and prominent pro-independence figures in other government positions. This initial movement was defeated on 2 August 1810 , when colonial troops arrived from Lima , Peru , and killed the leaders of

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1760-514: The Trole . These plans have been ruled out and replaced by the construction of the first metro line (subway) in 2012. It started to operate in December 2023, joining the existing public transportation network. Because Quito is about 40 km (25 mi) long and 5 km (3.1 mi) at its widest, most of the important avenues of the city extend from north to south. The two main motorways that go from

1840-537: The University of San Marcos , completed and defended the first thesis in the language group in 2019; it concerned the works of poet Andrés Alencastre Gutiérrez and it was also the first non-Spanish native language thesis done at that university. Currently, there are different initiatives that promote Quechua in the Andes and across the world: many universities offer Quechua classes, a community-based organization such as Elva Ambía 's Quechua Collective of New York promote

1920-534: The highest or the second highest capital city in the world. This varied standing is because Bolivia is a country with multiple capitals ; if La Paz is considered the Bolivian national capital, it tops the list of highest capitals, but if Sucre is specified as the capital, then it is the second highest, behind Quito. Quito is the political and cultural center of Ecuador as the country's major governmental, administrative, and cultural institutions are located within

2000-570: The Americas. As a result of Inca expansion into Central Chile , there were bilingual Quechua- Mapudungu Mapuche in Central Chile at the time of the Spanish arrival . It has been argued that Mapuche, Quechua, and Spanish coexisted in Central Chile , with significant bilingualism, during the 17th century. Alongside Mapudungun, Quechua is the indigenous language that has influenced Chilean Spanish

2080-646: The Carondelet Palace. The presidential residence is located on the third level of the Palace, along with administrative offices. The monumental Basilica del Voto Nacional is the most important neo-Gothic building in Ecuador, and one of the most representative of the American continent. It was once the largest in the New World. The Quito Metropolitan Cathedral , is one of the largest religious symbols of spiritual value for

2160-549: The Catholic Church, but with the secularization and liberalization of the Ecuadorian state, the political parishes were spun off the ones used by the church. Parishes are called urban if they are within the boundaries of the seat (capital) of their corresponding canton, and rural if outside those boundaries. Inside Quito (the city proper), subdivision into urban parishes depends on the organizations that use these parishes (e.g.,

2240-625: The Catholic community in the city. Construction of this church began in 1535, seventeen years after the Diocese of Quito was created in 1545. The church building was completed in 1799, during the administration of President of the Real Audiencia, Baron Héctor de Carondelet. Quechua language Although Quechua began expanding many centuries before the Incas , that previous expansion also meant that it

2320-714: The Central Cordillera (Royal Cordillera), east of Quito, surrounding the Guayllabamba valley, include Cotopaxi , Sincholagua , Antisana and Cayambe . Some of the volcanoes of the Western Cordillera, to the west of the Guayllabamba valley, include Illiniza , Atacazo , and Pululahua (which is the site of the Pululahua Geobotanical Reserve ). The southern part of Quito has a subtropical highland climate ( Köppen climate classification Cfb ), while

2400-570: The Inca Emperor Huayna Capac defeated the Quitu , the region's original inhabitants, and incorporated Quito into the Inca Empire , designating it into the capital of the Inca Empire's northern region. The Spanish conquest of the city in 1534 is the date most frequently cited as the city's official founding, making Quito the oldest capital in South America . Quito's historic center is among

2480-545: The Inca Empire expanded and further promoted Quechua as the official language of the Empire. After the Spanish conquest of Peru in the 16th century, Quechua continued to be used widely by the indigenous peoples as the "common language." It was officially recognized by the Spanish administration, and many Spaniards learned it in order to communicate with local peoples. The clergy of the Catholic Church adopted Quechua to use as

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2560-678: The La Florida neighborhood of Quito. Dating to AD 800, they provide evidence of the high quality of craftsmanship among the Quitu, and of the elaborate and complex character of their funerary rites. In 2010, the Museo de Sitio La Florida opened to preserve some of the artifacts from the tombs and explain this complex culture. Incan uprising against the Spanish continued during 1534. The conquistador Diego de Almagro founded Santiago de Quito (in present-day Colta, near Riobamba ) on 15 August 1534, renamed as San Francisco de Quito on 28 August 1534. The city

2640-467: The Latin American nations achieved independence in the 19th century, the prestige of Quechua had decreased sharply. Gradually its use declined so that it was spoken mostly by indigenous people in the more isolated and conservative rural areas. Nevertheless, in the 21st century, Quechua language speakers number roughly 7 million people across South America, more than any other indigenous language family in

2720-679: The Manta people in what are now the coastal provinces of Manabí and Santa Elena. The shells were highly valued by Native Americans and exported throughout the trading networks of South America, as they have been found in Argentina, Chile, Peru, Colombia and even present-day Mexico. Based on their use of these shells associated with religious rituals, the Quitu were among the many peoples who gave them sacred meaning. The people made art and used wooden instruments for their music. The Museum of Florida has been developed here to display and interpret artifacts from

2800-680: The Peruvian town of Iquitos , east of the mountains and in the Amazonian basin. In the 21st century archeological evidence had been found associated with this people. This however does not confirm the existence of the semi-legendary kingdom of Quito and is only archeological evidence for an independent Quitu culture with no united political entity in the region. According to the Spanish Jesuit missionary and historian Juan de Velasco , in his book, Historia del Reino de Quito en la América meridional (1789),

2880-844: The Quitu were conquered by said kingdom of Quito around 980 CE. He also referred to this people as Scyris, and said they may have been related to the Inca. He cited three lost documents as his sources, the existence of which has not been confirmed: "Las dos líneas de los Incas y de los Scyris, señores del Cuzco, y del Quito," by Fray Marcos de Niza, a Franciscan who accompanied Sebastián Benalcázar's conquest of Quito in 1533; "Las antigüedades del Perú," by Melchor Bravo de Saravia, an oidor (judge) of Lima; and "Guerras civiles del Inca Atahualpa con su hermano Atoco, llamado comúnmente Huáscar-Inca," by Jacinto Collahuaso, an eighteenth-century cacique of Ibarra (north of Quito). Several historians such as Jacinto Jijón y Caamaño and Alfredo Pareja Diezcanseco contest that

2960-758: The World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the Development Bank of Latin America (CAF) and the line opened on Dic 1, 2023. Quito has the largest, least-altered, and best-preserved historic center in the Americas . This center was, together with the historic center of Kraków , Poland, the first to be declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO on 18 September 1978. The historic center of Quito

3040-471: The account of the Quitu-Cara kingdom. They think it was a legendary pre-Hispanic account of the highlands. These days most historians deny the existence of the kingdom of Quito in favor of a more fragmented region. The Quitu ruled over Quito at the time of the Inca invasion by Topa Inca Yupanqui under the reign of his father. In the early 21st century, there were spectacular new finds of 20-meter deep tombs in

3120-566: The afterlife. These tombs were discovered in the Florida neighborhood of Quito, and in 2010 the Museum of Florida opened to display many of their treasures. The Quitu lived in an area surrounded by mountains, especially the massif formed by the Guagua and Ruco Pichincha volcanoes. The mountains were sacred to them. They established their burial or funeral centers on the plateau, and had most of their villages in

3200-500: The ancient rectangular houses, there are burials with pottery and stone offerings. The Cotocollao people extracted and exported obsidian to the coastal region. The priest Juan de Velasco wrote about a Kingdom of Quito. His source was a lost work by Marcos de Niza , the existence of which has not been confirmed. His account said that another people, known as the Cara or the Schyris, came from

3280-544: The bus lines of the Metrobus (Ecovia) were constructed, traversing the city from the north to the south. Many avenues and roads were extended and enlarged, depressed passages were constructed, and roads were restructured geometrically to increase the flow of traffic. A new subway system was opened with one line on 1 December 2023. Quito is located in the northern highlands of Ecuador in the Guayllabamba river basin. The city

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3360-517: The city center within city limits. The old airport was replaced due to tall buildings and nighttime fog that made landing from the south difficult. The old airport was converted into a metropolitan park. There is a railroad that goes through the southern part of Quito and passes through the Estación de Chimbacalle . It is managed by the Empresa de Ferrocarriles Ecuatorianos (EFE). This form of transportation

3440-443: The city from south to north. It's divided into three sections—the green line ( the central trolleybus , known as El Trole ), the red line (the north-east Ecovía ), and the blue line (the north-west Central Corridor). In addition to the bus rapid transit system, there are many bus companies running in the city. The buses have both a name and a number, and they have a fixed route. Taxi cabs are all yellow, and they have meters that show

3520-419: The city's population was 2,239,191 people. Since 2002, the city has been renewing its historic center. The old airport, built on filling in a lagoon, was closed to air traffic on 19 February 2013. The area was redeveloped as the "Parque Bicentenario" (Bicentenary Park). The new Mariscal Sucre International Airport , 45 minutes from central Quito, opened to air traffic on 20 February 2013. During 2003 and 2004,

3600-539: The city. Quito is the only capital city that was developed so close to an active volcano. Pichincha volcano has several summits, among them Ruku Pichincha at 4,700 m (15,400 ft) above sea level and Guagua Pichincha at 4,794 m (15,728 ft). Pichincha is active and being monitored by volcanologists at the Geophysical institute of the national polytechnic university . The largest eruption occurred in 1660 when more than 25 cm (9.8 in) of ash covered

3680-404: The city. The majority of transnational companies with a presence in Ecuador are headquartered there. It is also one of the country's two major industrial centers—the port city of Guayaquil being the other one. The date of its first habitation is unknown, but archaeological evidence suggests that it was first settled by sedentary populations between 4400 and 1600 BC. In the late fifteenth century,

3760-403: The city. There were three minor eruptions in the 19th century. The latest eruption was recorded on 5 October 1999, when a few puffs of smoke were seen and much ash was deposited on the city. Activity in other nearby volcanoes can also affect the city. In November 2002 the volcano Reventador erupted and showered the city in fine ash particles, to a depth of several centimeters. The volcanoes on

3840-450: The coast and took over the entire region by AD 890. He goes on by saying that this kingdom lasted until the Inca took over the territory in the 15th century. However archeological evidence does not indicate unity among the different ethnic groups in the region. The local Quitu or Quillaco tribe is distinct in its art and architecture from its neighbors. By the 20th century, many prominent historians who began more academic studies, doubted

3920-557: The country. The major obstacle to the usage and teaching of Quechua languages is the lack of written materials, such as books, newspapers, software, and magazines. The Bible has been translated into Quechua and is distributed by certain missionary groups. Quechua, along with Aymara and minor indigenous languages, remains essentially a spoken language . In recent years, Quechua has been introduced in intercultural bilingual education (IBE) in Peru , Bolivia , and Ecuador . Even in these areas,

4000-460: The dialects is the basic criterion that defines Quechua not as a single language, but as a language family. The complex and progressive nature of how speech varies across the dialect continua makes it nearly impossible to differentiate discrete varieties; Ethnologue lists 45 varieties which are then divided into two groups; Central and Peripheral. Due to the non-intelligibility between the two groups, they are all classified as separate languages. As

4080-456: The far north. However the revolt was put down by the Inca. In the early 21st century a large Quitu funerary and ceremonial area was excavated in Quito. Archeologist Holguer Jara said this delay protected their artifacts for centuries from grave robbers, who are known to have depleted many other cultures of their valuable archeological remains, especially artifacts made of gold. In 2010, an area of numerous 20-meter deep, three-level Quitu tombs

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4160-469: The fare. There are nearly 8,800 registered taxicabs . In August 2012, the Municipality of Quito government established a municipal bicycle sharing system called Bici Q. In March 2023, a new bicycle sharing system was established in order to promote the bicycle as a sustainable, healthy and fast mean of transport. With this service, the objective is to reduce mobilization times, air pollution and improve

4240-857: The governments are reaching only a part of the Quechua-speaking populations. Some indigenous people in each of the countries are having their children study in Spanish for social advancement. Radio Nacional del Perú broadcasts news and agrarian programs in Quechua for periods in the mornings. Quechua and Spanish are now heavily intermixed in much of the Andean region, with many hundreds of Spanish loanwords in Quechua. Similarly, Quechua phrases and words are commonly used by Spanish speakers. In southern rural Bolivia, for instance, many Quechua words such as wawa (infant), misi (cat), waska (strap or thrashing), are as commonly used as their Spanish counterparts, even in entirely Spanish-speaking areas. Quechua has also had

4320-574: The language of evangelization . The oldest written records of the language are by missionary Domingo de Santo Tomás , who arrived in Peru in 1538 and learned the language from 1540. He published his Grammatica o arte de la lengua general de los indios de los reynos del Perú (Grammar or Art of the General Language of the Indians of the Kingdoms of Peru) in 1560. Given its use by the Catholic missionaries,

4400-439: The language, and governments are training interpreters in Quechua to serve in healthcare, justice, and bureaucratic facilities. In 1975, Peru became the first country to recognize Quechua as one of its official languages. Ecuador conferred official status on the language in its 2006 constitution, and in 2009, Bolivia adopted a new constitution that recognized Quechua and several other indigenous languages as official languages of

4480-457: The largest and best-preserved in the Americas . In 1978, Quito and Kraków were the first World Cultural Heritage Sites declared by UNESCO . Quito is the capital city closest to the Equator , which runs through the northern part of the metropolitan area in the parish of San Antonio . The oldest traces of human presence in Quito were excavated by American archeologist Robert E. Bell in 1960, on

4560-410: The largest company in the country and one of the largest in Latin America is headquartered in Quito. Headquarters and regional offices of many national and international financial institutions, oil corporations and international businesses are also located in Quito, making it a world class business city. In "The World according to GaWC " global cities report, which measures a city's integration into

4640-460: The liberal commander Eloy Alfaro participated in the Battle of Guayaquil , and after further conflict he became the president of Ecuador on 4 September 1895. Upon completing his second term in 1911, he moved to Europe. He returned to Ecuador in 1912 and attempted to return to power unsuccessfully; he was arrested on 28 January 1912, and imprisoned, then lynched by a mob that stormed the prison. His body

4720-548: The most. Quechua-Aymara and mixed Quechua-Aymara- Mapudungu toponymy can be found as far south as Osorno Province in Chile (latitude 41° S). In 2017 the first thesis defense done in Quechua in Europe was done by Peruvian Carmen Escalante Gutiérrez at Pablo de Olavide University ( Sevilla ). The same year Pablo Landeo wrote the first novel in Quechua without a Spanish translation. A Peruvian student, Roxana Quispe Collantes of

4800-410: The municipality, the electoral tribunals, the postal service, the Ecuadorian statistics institute). The urban parishes of different types are not necessarily coterminous nor the same in number or name. As of 2008, the municipality of Quito divided the city into 32 urban parishes. These parishes, which are used by the municipality for administrative purposes, are also known as cabildos since 2001. Since

4880-500: The northern part has a warm-summer mediterranean climate (Köppen climate classification Csb ). Because of its altitude and location on the equator, Quito has a fairly constant cool climate. The average afternoon maximum temperature is 21.4 °C (70.5 °F), and the average night-time minimum temperature is 9.8 °C (49.6 °F). The annual average temperature is 15.6 °C (60.1 °F). The city has only two seasons: dry and wet. The dry season, June through August (3 months),

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4960-409: The northern part of the city to the southern are Avenue Oriental (Corridor Periférico Oriental) on the eastern hills that border the city, and Avenue Occidental on the western side of the city on the Pichincha volcano. The street 10 de Agosto also runs north to south through most of the city, running down the middle of it. The historic center of the city is based on a grid pattern, despite the hills, with

5040-410: The quality of life of the citizens. Although public transport is the primary form of travel in the city, including fleets of taxis that continually cruise the roadways, the use of private vehicles has increased substantially during the past decade. Because of growing road congestion in many areas, there were plans to construct a light rail system, which were conceived to replace the northern portion of

5120-485: The range of Quechua continued to expand in some areas. In the late 18th century, colonial officials ended the administrative and religious use of Quechua. They banned it from public use in Peru after the Túpac Amaru II rebellion of indigenous peoples. The Crown banned "loyal" pro-Catholic texts in Quechua, such as Garcilaso de la Vega's Comentarios Reales . Despite a brief revival of the language immediately after

5200-496: The site to collect surface materials. Graffham's previous interest in Paleo-Indian remains, and his experience with early human-made materials in Kansas and Nebraska in the Central Plains of the United States, led him to believe that the site was an important discovery. The second important vestige of human settlement was found in the current neighborhood of Cotocollao (1500 BC), northwest of Quito. The prehistoric village covered over 26 hectares in an area irrigated by many creeks. Near

5280-529: The slopes of the Ilaló volcano, located between the eastern valleys of Los Chillos and Tumbaco. Hunter-gatherers left tools of obsidian glass, dated to 8000 BC. This archeological site, called EI Inga, was brought to Robert Bell's attention by Allen Graffham. As a geologist in Ecuador, Graffham pursued his amateur interest in archeology. He made surface collections at the site during 1956. The discovery of projectile points, particularly specimens with basal fluting, stimulated his interest, and he made several visits to

5360-471: The start of its next phase of urban development . In 1563 Quito became the seat of a Real Audiencia (administrative district) of Spain. It was classified as part of the Viceroyalty of Peru until 1717, after which the Audiencia was part of the new Viceroyalty of New Granada . Under both Viceroyalties, the district was administered from Quito, (see Real Audiencia de Quito ). The Spanish established Roman Catholicism in Quito. The first church ( El Belén )

5440-439: The streets Venezuela, Chile, García Moreno, and Guayaquil being the most important. The Mariscal Sucre International Airport serves as the city's principal airport for passenger travel and freight. The airport is located 18 km (11 mi) east of the city's center in the Tababela parish. It began operations on 20 February 2013, replacing the Old Mariscal Sucre International Airport located 10 km (6.2 mi) north of

5520-518: The territory from 2000 BCE and persisted through the period known as the Regional Integration Period. They were overtaken by the invasion of the Inca . The Spanish invaded and conquered the center in 1534. The Quitu occupied an area dominated by mountains, settling largely in the valleys. About 800 CE, they created three-level, 20-meter deep tombs as part of funerary centers on the plateau. The bodies were accompanied by highly refined grave goods of textiles, shells and metals, as well as drink and food for

5600-455: The times of the Metropolitan District of Quito, parishes of this type are also grouped into larger divisions known as municipal zones ( zonas municipales ). These parishes are as follows: The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Quito divides the city into 167 parishes, which are grouped into 17 zones. The MetrobusQ network, also known as "Red Integrada de Transporte Público", is the bus rapid transit system running in Quito, and it goes through

5680-458: The tombs. It is named after the neighborhood in which the tombs were found. The museum includes constructed figures of a Quitu man and woman (the latter's face was created by forensic techniques from a skull excavated at the site.) The woman wears clothing as found in the tombs: "a poncho covered with small buttons carved from Spondylus shell and snails, as well as silverware such as earrings, pins, necklaces, hunting darts and rattles". The Quitu were

5760-507: The uprising and about 200 other settlers. A chain of conflicts climaxed on 24 May 1822, when Antonio José de Sucre , under the command of Simón Bolívar , led troops into the Battle of Pichincha , on the slopes of the volcano. Their victory established the independence of Quito and the surrounding areas. In 1833, members of the Society of Free Inhabitants of Quito were assassinated by the government after they conspired against it. On 6 March 1845,

5840-617: The valleys. When they occupied this area, they used the Iñaquito lagoon. (In the 20th century, this was filled in and developed for an airport serving Quito.) Around 1470 they were conquered by Topa Inca Yupanqui , who at the time was a general of his father Pachacuti . Later, under the reign of Huayna Capac , they revolted alongside the Cayambis, the Caranquis , the Pastos and the other ethnic groups of

5920-571: The world city network, Quito is ranked as a Beta city: an important metropolis instrumental in linking its region or state into the world economy. [1] Quito is governed by a mayor and a 15-member city council. The mayor is elected to a five-year term and can be re-elected. The position also doubles as Mayor of the Metropolitan District of Quito (the canton). The current mayor is Pabel Muñoz Lopez. In Ecuador, cantons are subdivided into parishes , so called because they were originally used by

6000-551: Was built before the city was officially founded. In January 1535 the San Francisco Convent was constructed, the first of about 20 churches and convents built during the colonial period. The Spanish converted the indigenous population to Christianity and used them as labor for construction. In 1743, after nearly 210 years of Spanish colonization, Quito was a city of about 10,000 inhabitants. Quito briefly proclaimed its de facto independence from Spain between 1765 and 1766 during

6080-559: Was discovered in Quito, dating to about 800CE. The tombs had three levels, with multiple burials on each level: four bodies on the lowest, and six on each of the next two levels. Both men and women were buried in a squatting position, wrapped in cloth and with decorated ponchos, some featuring refined, carved Spondylus shells, which were acquired by Quitu trade from the Manta culture along the Pacific coast. The Quitu are believed to have endured as

6160-557: Was dragged through the streets of Quito to a city park, where it was burned. In 1932, the Four Days' War broke out. This was a civil war that followed the election of Neptalí Bonifaz and the subsequent realization that he carried a Peruvian passport. On 12 February 1949, a realistic broadcast of H. G. Wells ' novel The War of the Worlds led to citywide panic, and the deaths of more than twenty people who died in fires set by mobs. In 2011,

6240-454: Was later refounded at its present location on 6 December 1534 by 204 settlers led by Sebastián de Benalcázar , who captured leader Rumiñahui , effectively ending all organized resistance. Rumiñahui was executed on 10 January 1535. On 28 March 1541, Quito was declared a city. Further, on 23 February 1556, it was given the title Muy Noble y Muy Leal Ciudad de San Francisco de Quito ("Very Noble and Loyal City of San Francisco of Quito"), marking

6320-585: Was maintained as the prestige dialect in the north. Speakers from different points within any of the three regions can generally understand one another reasonably well. There are nonetheless significant local-level differences across each. ( Wanka Quechua , in particular, has several very distinctive characteristics that make the variety more challenging to understand, even for other Central Quechua speakers.) Speakers from different major regions, particularly Central or Southern Quechua, are not able to communicate effectively. The lack of mutual intelligibility among

6400-485: Was the primary language family within the Inca Empire. The Spanish also tolerated its use until the Peruvian struggle for independence in the 1780s. As a result, various Quechua languages are still widely spoken today, being co-official in many regions and the most spoken language lineage in Peru , after Spanish. The Quechua linguistic homeland may have been Central Peru. It has been speculated that it may have been used in

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