You've reached the Plaza de Santo Domingo, the end of this route. If you look west now, you'll see the green slopes of Pichincha volcano. That is where the battle was fought that closed the story you've been following since 1809.

1The man on the pedestal

The statue depicts Antonio José de Sucre, the Venezuelan general who served as Bolívar's right hand. On 24 May 1822 his troops defeated the royalist army on the slopes of Pichincha, more than 3,000 metres up and almost directly above the city. The surrender was signed the next day and Quito was free of Spanish rule, thirteen years after the First Cry. Sucre is buried in the cathedral, which you saw on the Plaza Grande.

2The Dominicans

The Dominican order received this plot in the 1540s. The present church followed plans drawn by Francisco Becerra in 1581 and was completed in 1688. To the right of the church, the Chapel of the Rosary sits on an arch under which Rocafuerte street passes: the architects devised it to deal with the slope of the ground.

In 1978 UNESCO placed Quito's historic centre on the very first World Heritage List, alongside Kraków, as one of the best-preserved colonial ensembles in the Americas.

On the southern skyline appears the Virgin of El Panecillo, which you'll see better on other routes.

3What to look for

  • Sucre's arm, pointing towards Pichincha.
  • The Santo Domingo arch, beneath the Chapel of the Rosary.
  • The church's stone doorway, contrasting with the white walls.

Documented

The Battle of Pichincha, won by Sucre on 24 May 1822, ended Spanish rule in Quito; the Church of Santo Domingo was completed in 1688 and UNESCO listed the historic centre in 1978.

Oral tradition

That Sucre's statue points to the exact site of the battle is a popular reading; in any case the gesture is directed towards the slopes of Pichincha.

Sources and credits

UNESCO, «City of Quito» entry (World Heritage List, 1978); Monastery of Santo Domingo and Museo Fray Pedro Bedón; Enrique Ayala Mora (ed.), «Nueva historia del Ecuador».

Photos:

  • Plaza de Santo Domingo with the statue of Sucre and the church behind: Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0.

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