The atrium of San Francisco and the legend of Cantuña

Look at the atrium stretching above the staircase, that great stone balcony in front of the Church of San Francisco. According to Quiteños, it wasn't built by human hands alone.

1A deal with the devil

Legend says that the Indigenous builder Cantuña promised the Franciscans to finish the atrium by a set date. The work fell behind and, the night before the deadline, in despair, Cantuña summoned the devil. They struck a bargain: Lucifer would finish the job before dawn and, in exchange, take his soul.

All night long, legions of little devils worked without rest. But Cantuña, shrewd as he was, had hidden one of the stones.

At dawn the atrium was finished except for one gap. Cantuña protested: the deal was for the complete work. The devil, outwitted, left without his soul.

Even today some people search the stonework for the missing stone.

2The man behind the legend

Cantuña really existed. Colonial documents mention an Indigenous blacksmith, Francisco Cantuña, who came to own houses and money and paid for the chapel that bears his name, at the southern end of the atrium. An Indigenous man growing rich aroused suspicion, and the popular explanation was a pact with the devil. There's even another version: that Cantuña knew where gold had been buried when the Inca city burned. Historical research has also found a second Cantuña, a blacksmith in the 17th century, who made iron doors for the monastery.

3What to look for

• The Cantuña chapel, to the left of the atrium.
• The stone blocks of the atrium wall: look for the missing one.
• The doors of the monastery, the work of Quito blacksmiths.