Walk 1: La Alameda Park

The construction of this 15 acre park began on March 8, 1596, commissioned and named by the municipal town council of Quito. Between 1784 and 1790 pathways through gardens were created, the first monuments were erected, and wrought iron fencing put in. Until 1873, when the construction of the Observatory began, the triangular piece of land that today is the park was used for grazing. To this day the park continues to be an important place of enjoyment and relaxation for the residents of Quito.

A competition was organized in Paris in 1929 in order to choose the best person or people to create the monument of Simón Bolívar. 154 projects from 20 countries took part, in the end the contest was won by the French sculptors Jacques Zwobada and René Letourneur and the architects Félix Bruneau, René Marouzeau and Luis Emilio Galey. The monument was inaugurated on July 24, 1935. Quito witnessed military and civilian processions, parties and social activities never seen before in the city.

This construction by Rómulo Benavides was inaugurated on December 6, 1963, and shows the territory of Ecuador as it was until 1941, when 200,000 square kilometres were lost in a war with Peru.

This monument was erected to commemorate the two missions of French scientists to Ecuador. The first, between 1735 and 1744, aimed to measure a quadrant of the earth's meridian on the Equator, in order to determine if the world was round. The second, between 1899 and 1908, was to check the results of the first mission. This monument was built between 1911 and 1913.

This building was constructed between 1873 and 1875. The German equatorial telescope installed in the tower was one of the three most advanced in the world, together with those of Rome and Paris. The seismograph found in the lower level has worked perfectly since the 1920s. The astronomical instruments found here, make this an interesting place to visit. Open: Monday to Friday from 09h00 to 17h00, Saturday from 09h00 to 13h00. There is a small entrance fee.

Manuela Sáenz was born in Quito in 1795 and died in Piura, Peru, in 1856. Recognized for her outstanding participation during the Latin American Wars of Independence. She was also the mistress of Simón Bolívar.

This monument was erected on May 17, 1923 in memory of the Ecuadorian army lieutenant Francisco Suárez Veintimilla. This soldier died fighting on behalf of the Spanish army during the war of independence in North Africa, in the battle of Bení-Aros, Morocco on June 19, 1922. The work, in stone and bronze by the Ecuadorian artist Nicolás Delgado, was donated by the resident Spanish colony in Quito.

This work, inaugurated on November 4, 1922, was donated by the resident Italian colony of Quito as a tribute to the Florentine politician and poet, six hundred years after his death. The bronze bust was sculpted by the Italian artist, Luigi Casadio.

This column was placed in the park by the President of the Real Audiencia of Quito, Juan José Villalengua y Marfil in 1785. It was sculpted by the same native stone masons who constructed the facade of the church of La Compañía.

Installed in the park by the President of the Real Audiencia of Quito in 1785, this column is decorated with a branch and leaf motif, identical to that found on the facade of the church of La Compañía.

El Churo was built by Enrique Fuseau using earth removed during the construction of the street, Luis Sodiro, at the beginning of the 20th century. This spiral formation provided a viewpoint over the city before the construction of taller buildings.