What to find in the Plaza Grande of Quito

The so-called “Iberian Ensemble”, which is located on the level of the stairs and is the lowest of all, consists of several sections with different meanings each:

Two fallen banners, representing the end of Spanish sovereignty on Quito soil, a cannon and three broken rifles, representing the end of oppression by arms, a cross, symbol of religion imposed by force as a critique of liberalism to the conservatives, a lion, that is the traditional symbol of the monarchy, and that in the shield of Spain is representing the Crown of Castile. He leaves wounded by an arrow, roaring defeated the Condor.

The condor, located on the basement of the great column, not only constitutes the emblematic bird of Ecuador that is even in its national shield, but in this particular case it represents the country breaking the chains of Spain with its sharp claws. In this regard there is an anecdote in which Francisco Durini had to make a wax mold of a dead condor, to send it to Italy and that the figure could be manufactured, since in Europe this bird was practically unknown.

The acanthus leaves that adorn the corners of the basement, on the other hand, are a variety of leaves that have thorns, and in the Greek tradition they represent the triumph achieved with effort and penalties; in this case the sad chapter of the massacre of August 2, 1810, in which much of the heroes who participated in the First Cry of Independence perished.

“The lady of Independence”

The sphere on which the Lady of Independence perches is nothing more than an orb, representing the planet earth crossed in half by a ring that is the equator, in which four faces of lions can be seen holding a ring of gold and in the direction of the cardinal points. Under the ring, however, you can see more acanthus leaves.

Municipal building

Before 1973, the Municipality of Quito worked in a house located on the corner of Venezuela Street and Espejo passage, next to the Plaza de la Independencia. In the administration of Julio Moreno, 1960s, construction was overthrown.

Only in 1973, in the administration of Sixto Durán Ballén, the building of the Municipal Palace was built, for which they acquired the private houses that existed until Chile Street.

Currently, the offices for the 15 councilors, the session hall of the Metropolitan Council, the Attorney General’s Office and the General Secretariat were adapted; In addition to a tourist information center in Quito.

There are florcklor items and contemporary art there are also candles of different colors in raft boxes, jewelry items straw hats. You can also find several religious items such as figures for Easter and information for tourists.

Archbishop’s Palace

This building served as the headquarters of the Archdiocese and residence of the archbishop of Quito, the purchase was made to the conqueror Núñez de Bonilla and his heirs to later begin construction in 1545, then had several modifications in 1775.

Since 1858 the Archbishop’s Palace has undergone several modifications in its infrastructure, but it was in the year of 1970 when the archbishop of Quito found the immediate need for the reconstruction of the Palace, due to the danger posed by the building due to its age.