A learning tour in Quito

Ecuador, Time To Reset

travelec
2023-08-24

Quito has more than 60 museums, multiple Art and Cultural Centers and ancient temples and churches that altogether display a strong history and heritage with unmeasurable value. In Quito you can learn as you walk the old stone paved streets and so we’ve prepared a quick top 5 list of museums and sites that you should visit to better understand the city and its inhabitant. Some of them are part of the Ecuadorian Museum’s Network so do check their websites to add your own interest to a wider learning tour bucket list.

Ecuador's National Museum

Let‘s start by the origin of Ecuadorian culture on a well staged sight back in time. This museum has become a benchmark for cultural tourism mainly because it shows Ecuadorian identities on an easy to grasp tour that displays the best of Ecuadorian original Art with permanent exhibits guarded by the best museography technology. Visitors can observe archaeological, historical and artistic assets that highlights various historical processes of the country and the world since the rise of human kind. It is located on Patria Avenue.
For more details enter here.

The "pasillo" Museum

This recently opened museum highlights one of the most representative elements of Ecuadorian culture, music and its more iconic characters of one particular style, «el pasillo», a genre that was popular in the States of the Gran Colombia. The museum seeks the revaluation of an intangible heritage with an educational exhibition and various learning stages. The museum is located at García Moreno N2-04 and Bolívar streets.
Learn more about pasillo here.

Numismatic Museum

Here you will learn about the evolution of the country’s monetary system with a collection of more than 1000 numismatic related paraphernalia. Here you’ll understand the economic and financial processes of Ecuador. The museum is located at García Moreno and Sucre streets, Quito. More information here.

Pre-Columbian Art Museum "Casa del Alabado"

The museum is located in one of the oldest houses in Quito, and exhibits nearly 5,000 archaeological pieces from ancient cultures that inhabited Ecuador. You can admire the skill and style of human groups through ceramics, stone, shell, metal, textile and wood clothing and artifacts. The pieces are arranged by theme, not chronologically or regionally, allowing visitors to create their own visual connections. It is located on Cuenca Street, near the San Francisco Church. Find out more about the museum here .

Observatory

The Astronomical Museum has many valuable meteorological instruments on inventory, most of them made in the past centuries, including the meridian circle and the Merz equatorial telescope used to measure the distance of the meridian from the stars, and the precise location and shape of stars. It is located inside the «La Alameda» park, on Gran Colombia and Diez de Agosto avenues. The place still carries out astronomic research activities, and has many basic science courses available. More information here.