City Tour

     My favorite part of the city tour was definitely the monastery. I first thought that the city tour was going to be mostly stop and go, with a lot of bus riding, and maybe some walking down a few streets. For some reason it never occurred to me that I might be able to go inside of some of the extremely fascinating and clearly very old buildings. History has alway interested me, so the moment that I was able to walk around in a building that was filled with so much history, and then listen to so many of those stories told by an excellent guide was breathtaking. If I have the opportunity I think I would love to visit a few more of the historic sites in Quito.

     Because I had already researched the history of Quito before arriving, I did not learn too much about the history and origins of Quito. What I did learn, however, was how the Ecuadoreans feel about their history. As our guide told the stories of the brave revolutionaries, or described the ingenuity of the Incans, or the influence of the various ethnic groups on art and architecture in the city, it was clear just how much pride he took in telling those stories. His enthusiasm could be attributed to his personal fondness for history, but the fact that these buildings had been so painstakingly preserved and restored suggested that his beliefs were not isolated opinions. I learned from this preservation that many Ecuadorians must take pride in their country's history.

     I think I was most surprised by the sheer vibrance of the historic portion of the city. Although I expected the many tourists, I was surprised by the number of Ecuadorians that appeared to truly work, study, and live in the old city center. I assumed that the historic downtown was so named because the current downtown of Quito had long since moved away. However, it seemed that the historic downtown was just as active in almost every way as the modern commercial and residential districts.

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