20°C 
Escuela Taller Quito
Rating: 
Anything But Idle Hands
The Escuela Taller (Workshop School) is located in the Old Town, inside an old maternity hospital which its pupils have restored since the project's inception in 1992.
The school aims to train artisans in traditional construction techniques; integrate young people into the labour market; and to promote the restoration, rehabilitation and conservation of Quito's historic heritage. It's also open to the public, providing a unique insight into the restoration of World Heritage Quito's cultural, artistic and architectural gems. Visitors are given a guided tour of the different classrooms by one of the teachers (in Spanish usually). Objects made by the pupils are on show and also on sale to the public.
The Taller gives places and grants to young people aged between 16 and 22 from disadvantaged backgrounds. It teaches all sorts of skills, from carpentry, stonework, painting, gold leaf, metalwork, electrics, and on to basic maths and language. It also has an agency to help the young people find jobs at the end of their three-year courses. It enjoys a 97% success rate in this endeavour.
The Taller is interesting from a social point of view, giving young, disadvantaged kids a skill and a chance of good work, but also in the wider context of the city of Quito's ongoing efforts to restore and rehabilitate its stunning cultural, artistic and architectural legacy. Most of the graduates of the school head straight to work on one of the city's many restoration projects, whether in churches or old mansions/buildings. The traditional skills that are taught are dying out, and the school represents a laudable effort to safeguard Quito's heritage through a socially-beneficial initiative.
The Escuela Taller (Workshop School) is located in the Old Town, inside an old maternity hospital which its pupils have restored since the project's inception in 1992.
The school aims to train artisans in traditional construction techniques; integrate young people into the labour market; and to promote the restoration, rehabilitation and conservation of Quito's historic heritage. It's also open to the public, providing a unique insight into the restoration of World Heritage Quito's cultural, artistic and architectural gems. Visitors are given a guided tour of the different classrooms by one of the teachers (in Spanish usually). Objects made by the pupils are on show and also on sale to the public.
The Taller gives places and grants to young people aged between 16 and 22 from disadvantaged backgrounds. It teaches all sorts of skills, from carpentry, stonework, painting, gold leaf, metalwork, electrics, and on to basic maths and language. It also has an agency to help the young people find jobs at the end of their three-year courses. It enjoys a 97% success rate in this endeavour.
The Taller is interesting from a social point of view, giving young, disadvantaged kids a skill and a chance of good work, but also in the wider context of the city of Quito's ongoing efforts to restore and rehabilitate its stunning cultural, artistic and architectural legacy. Most of the graduates of the school head straight to work on one of the city's many restoration projects, whether in churches or old mansions/buildings. The traditional skills that are taught are dying out, and the school represents a laudable effort to safeguard Quito's heritage through a socially-beneficial initiative.
Useful Information
Opening Times: Monday to Friday 08:00 to 13:00.
Address: Montufar 352 y Pereira, Quito Old Town (close to the Iglesia Santo Domingo).
Phone Number: (593 2) 2951-772
E-mail: tallerquito1@andinanet.net
Prices: $2 foreigners, $1 Ecuadorians and international students, 50 cents students.
