De la Independencia (Independence) Square

It can be said that the heart of Ecuador is in the Plaza de la Independencia. The political and historical beats of the country take place there. It is also the starting point to know the Historical Center of Quito, first Cultural Patrimony of the Humanity since 1978.

 

Also known as Plaza Grande. The Carondelet Palace, seat of the Executive and symbol of political power, is located in one of its blocks, the García Moreno. Emblematic buildings are erected around it. The Metropolitan Cathedral, the Municipality of Quito and the Archbishop's Palace. Other streets that delimit the Square are the Chile, the Venezuela and the Espejo. Its surface is estimated at 8,000 m2. It is located at 2,818 meters above sea level.

 

The main monument in the center of the park is the Column to the Proclaimers of the Spanish-American Independence, which began on August 10, 1809 in Quito. That is why this transcendental historical event is known as the "First Cry". President Eloy Alfaro ordered the construction of the monument to commemorate the centenary of Ecuador's Independence. It was inaugurated in 1906. Since then, the old Plaza Grande was renamed Plaza de la Independencia. The model of the Frenchified park was later imitated in the central parks of Ibarra, Latacunga, Riobamba, Ambato, Cuenca and Guayaquil.

 

A ritual, a kind of liturgy, has been carried out since the 19th century in the Plaza Grande. Every Monday a crowd gathers to admire the changing of the guard of the Tarqui Grenadiers who guard Carondelet. Their colorful blue, red and white uniforms, just like the ones used in the Battle of Pinchincha in 1822, attract the attention of tourists.

 

To tour ancient Quito from the Plaza Grande, admiring all its colonial treasures, you must start with Carondelet. The Presidential Palace has a museum inside.