Was 32 years ago when the medal was hung Quito Heritage Site by Unesco, Ecuador’s capital now has the turn to be the American Capital of Culture in 2011. For this city with the largest colonial historic center, least altered and best preserved in Latin America is an excellent opportunity to show, as the container of an ancient culture, the treasures it holds. And also an invitation to be discovered.
Throughout the year the Ecuadorian capital has prepared plenty of activities to celebrate, from theater and dance, museum exhibits, activities in parks and plazas, Quito music concerts and food fairs. This first quarter Quito is being presented to the world as an international metropolis, diverse and cosmopolitan. In the second quarter it will be as artistic and religious heritage. In July, August and September, as a town green, adventure and nature, and the last quarter as ancestral, festive, cultural and popular.
In its musical programming, there are several outstanding events: the Festival of Sacred Music, to be held from 11 to 24 April, the International Guitar Biennale, which takes place from 19 to 21 May, from 20 to 26 June, the Festival International Songwriters and in December the choir festival.
But above all, the choice as Cultural Capital will release the essence of Quito, home to a mixture of peoples and ancient cultures that have made this city a unique place. A historic downtown Cultural Heritage of Humanity with such outstanding buildings as the church of the Society of Jesus, “traditional songs like chulla, native and a drink as tasty as canelazos, and countless legends like Cantuña, the Indian who tricked the devil in the construction of the church of San Francisco, are among the reasons which have led to this capital.
Founded in 1534 by Spanish Benalcázar Sebastian over the ruins left Rumiñahui, the powerful Inca decided to burn the city rather than surrender to the colonists, the capital of Ecuador is a hodgepodge of monuments and buildings of various styles, giving it a unique in the world.
Along with its rich cultural heritage and also keeps alive many traditions those are part of the intangible heritage of humanity. Not forgetting that it is a city that lives an eternal spring and has an amazing geographical beauty, situated at 2,850 meters and in an exceptional enclave marked by the imposing volcano Pichincha.