Old Quito

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Old Quito
UNESCO world heritage UNESCO World Heritage Emblem

Vista de Quito (La Basílica del Voto Nacional, Quito) pic.  z4.JPG
View of the old town from the Basílica del Voto Nacional
National territory: EcuadorEcuador Ecuador
Type: Culture
Criteria : (ii) (iv)
Surface: 320 ha
Reference No .: 2
UNESCO region : Latin America and the Caribbean
History of enrollment
Enrollment: 1978  ( session 2 )

The old town of Quito is one of the UNESCO -listed site of world cultural heritage in the South American country Ecuador . The world heritage site includes the historic core of the city of Quito .

geography

The old town of Quito is located in the Andes at an altitude of 2818  m . It extends along the slopes of the Pichincha volcano and is bordered by the Panecillo hills in the southwest and Itchimbía in the northeast.

Cityscape

Quito was founded by the Spanish in 1534 on the ruins of an ancient Inca city ​​and has one of the largest and best-preserved historical centers in Hispanic America .

The old town is characterized by the baroque architecture of the Escuela Quiteña ("School of Quito"), which combines indigenous and European art traditions. The high point of this artistic era are the sacred buildings such as San Agustín , La Merced , the monasteries of San Francisco , Santo Domingo and La Recoleta De San Diego , the Jesuit church La Compañía and the Santuario de Guápulo . These are of particular art historical importance both in terms of architecture and because of their rich interior furnishings, which include altarpieces , paintings and sculptures .

The course of the street follows the original plan, which provided for a chessboard-like street network with a main and several secondary squares. In the city center you can find monasteries and churches as well as one and two-story houses with one or more inner courtyards ( patios ), which were usually built from simple clay bricks and decorated with elaborate stucco work .

Registration as a world heritage site

The old town of Quito was entered on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1978 as the first World Heritage Site in Ecuador, based on a resolution of the second session of the World Heritage Committee. The Galapagos Islands were also included as the first world natural heritage site at the meeting .

The world heritage site covers an area of ​​320 hectares.

The reason for the entry states, among other things:

The old town of Quito, the cradle of pre-Columbian cultures and an important witness of Spanish colonization, has for the time being preserved unity and harmony in its urban structure despite centuries of urban development. Elevated to the "capital of the Quito audience ", it assumed political leadership and protectorate over villages and towns. This status represents an important stage in the emergence of socio-economic development, it led to a true national idiosyncrasy, which is expressed through the unique material and immaterial heritage.

The entry was made on the basis of criteria (ii) and (iv).

(ii): The influence of the Quito Baroque School (Escuela Quiteña) in the cultural sphere, especially in the arts (architecture, sculpture and painting), was evident in all cities of the audience, and even in those of the neighboring audience.

(iv): Quito forms a harmonious sui generis , where influences of man and nature come together to create a work that is unique and transcendental of its kind .

State of preservation

City plan from 1735

The old town of Quito was able to retain its original design, new buildings were only allowed to be built outside the colonial city. With a few exceptions, blocks of houses and squares are still arranged as on the first known city map by Dionisio Alcedo y Herrera (1734). Despite numerous earthquakes that have struck the city in the past, Quito has the most pristine old town in all of Latin America .

Hazards and protective measures

Protection and preservation of cultural heritage are enshrined in the country's constitution, in the laws and regulations governing cultural heritage, in the Code of Territorial Organization , Autonomy and Decentralization (COTAD) and in the Culture Act. The National Institute for Cultural Heritage (INPC) delegates responsibilities such as protection and preservation of cultural heritage to local administrations and monitors them.

A city development plan, a special plan for the old town and annual operational plans are available to the city administration as management instruments . These plans are drawn up by the Territorial and Housing Secretariat, while the Metropolitan Administration is responsible for their implementation, in particular the Cultural Secretariat, the Metropolitan Institute for Culture (formerly the Protection Fund for Cultural Heritage), the Administrative Zone Center, the Urban Development Company and the Commission for Monument Zones, which the legislative body for the old town of Quito is.

The core and buffer zones, which are clearly separated from each other, are secured by special protective measures. These measures, which were developed to counter threats and risks such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions , as well as parking and traffic problems in the monument zone, are defined by the urban development plan and a special plan for the old town. The environmental drainage program tries to minimize damage from landslides and to control erosion caused by rainwater , which occurs especially in winter.

Risks caused by an eruption of the Pichincha volcano or by the overflow of existing water sources could be reduced by the establishment and revision of a collection system. With the restriction of building areas and the control of illegal construction along the slopes of the Pichincha volcano, further risks for the old town and its population could be reduced. The reorganization of the traffic system in the Quito metropolitan area has led to the limitation of local public transport lines, the establishment of pedestrian zones and bicycle corridors and the strategic creation of parking spaces in parts of the old town.

Further measures in 2003, such as the monitoring of activities within the old town and the revitalization of public areas, made an extraordinary contribution to the protection of the World Heritage site and to improving the quality of life of its residents.

Web links

Commons : Old Quito  - Album with pictures, videos and audio files
  • Old Quito on the UNESCO World Heritage Center website ( English and French ).

Individual evidence

  1. a b c d e f g h i j k l m entry on the website of the UNESCO World Heritage Center ( English and French ).
  2. Decision - 2 COM VIII.38. UNESCO World Heritage Center, 1978, accessed February 7, 2018 .

Coordinates: 0 ° 13 ′ 12 ″  S , 78 ° 30 ′ 44 ″  W.