Plaza Grande

The beautiful Plaza de Independencia, the heart of the old town, is walled by the four pillars of society, the Cathedral , Presidential Palace , the Archbishop’s Palace and Municipal Palace. Under the watchful eye of the Pichincha Volcano and the blue Andean sky, the square guards the secrets and legends of the city, its political traditions, hidden pacts and treaties: witness to the chronicles of Quito.

The city of Quito stems from this nucleus of activity, which although it wasn’t the city’s first square, has remained at very the heart of a community, a space owned by the people, and one with which they identify.

At the start of the 20th century, the Monument to the Heroes of Independence was erected at the centre of the square, symbol of the triumph of the Republic over the Spanish in the people’s plaza.

The square is a great place to observe the ebb and flow, colour, humour and drama of Quiteño life go by. Here, you’ll find old people gossiping (and complaining) amid the benches, shoe-shine boys flitting like hummingbirds from one client to the next, men browsing the latest shock-horror headlines, new mothers pushing their proud prams, sweet-sellers hawking their wares, highland Indians with babies wrapped to their backs, cars hooting and brakes squeaking, women knitting, instant-photo takers snapping, hawkers crying, out-of-towners gawping, foreigners strolling, policemen observing (or sending text messages), guards checking their reflections in the sheen of their boots… 

Pick a bench, sit back and enjoy the spectacle…