Museo de la Ciudad

Ecuador does museums particularly well. Today I visited the old hospital which has been turned into a museum on Quito from the conquest. Unfortunately only one room had English subtitles - the one about the revolution. It hadn't occurred to me that the independence movement was linked to the Napolionic wars, but if they hadn't happened, it may have happened a lot later. Part of the museum is a separate area showing the old hospital. I have included photos of the conquest of the Amazon and the display devoted to Humbolt (of the current).

The building is typical of the colonial era buildings in Quito - two courtyards with all the rooms opening onto verandas surrounding the courtyards. The old hospital is two stories high, and I guess it was built with thick columns along the inside and outside walls. Between these columns were cubicles for the beds (which were along the walls), and each bed had a curtain so individuals could have privacy. It was originally built in 1564, and the museum part has been restored to that era. I thought you might like a picture of the chapel.

Apart from the museum, I wandered around the streets. There are very few buildings that aren't from colonial times, and the whole old city is beautiful. Some streets haven't been spruced up, but they are all in keeping with one another. There is a street devoted to candle making. Most of the candles are for religious purposes and some had been made to look like bunches of flowers. There were also other areas devoted to christening clothes, and where I am is surrounded by material shops and haberdasheries. I have yet to find a place where you can't see a church.

I also found a demonstration which caused all the traffic to be worse than usual, and the police presence to be even greater than previously. I even saw one policeman in riot gear (he was having an amiable conversation with several of his mates while getting coffee) several blocks away from the main square, where the demonstrators ended their march, and were busy having speeches.