Quito.

Out of 26 volcanoes in Ecuador, at least a dozen are within 50 miles of Quito. Quito is the closest capital city to the equator, the highest at 9,300 feet, and is the only one menaced by an active volcano, Pichincha, which looms over the western side of the city.

31 miles south of the city is the spectacular stratovolcano, Cotopaxi. At 19,347 feet, it is the second tallest volcano in Ecuador. As of July, 2015, Cotopaxi is experiencing a lot of new activity has been recorded and as of the 25th of June, 2015 is under active watch by volcanologists.

Quito has a population of about 2.5 million. The old colonial part of the city, seen in the foreground was, along with Krakow, Poland, one of the first two world heritage sites. The highrises in background are part of the rapidly-growing new Quito.

Quito is a very religious city with many churches, including the largest neo-Gothic cathedral in South America. Designed in the 1880s, the Basilica remains technically unfinished. Local legend has it that if the cathedral is ever completed it will mean the end of the world.

The city's most ornate church is the baroque Church of the Society of Jesus. Started in 1605, it took 160 years to complete.

Towering over the city is the hill named El Panecillo (little loaf of bread), topped by the statue of a winged Madonna, representing the woman of the apocalypse treading on a giant serpent.

Erected in 1976, the statue is made of over 7,000 pieces of aluminum.

This figure is not a colorful Klansman. Penitents that march in Quito's many religious processions wear these conical hoods known as capirotes. You can buy these little religious figurines at just about any shop in Quito.

Racial sensitivity is not really high in Ecuador, as you can see by this sign for this popular chain of restaurants. Ecuador has an African-descended population of about 1.1 million out of a total population of about 16 million. Most Afro-Ecuadorians are the descendants of enslaved Africans who originally arrived in Ecuador in 1533, when a slave ship heading to Peru was stranded off the Ecuadorian coast. The enslaved Africans escaped and established maroon settlements in Esmeraldas, on the northwest coast, which became a safe haven as many Africans fleeing slavery. Unfortunately, the racism deeply ingrained in Spanish colonial society is still found today; Afro-Ecuadorians are strongly discriminated against by the mestizo and criollo populations.

Our hotel in old town Quito was converted from a colonial era convent. The current owners have lavished a lot of money and effort making the hotel a lovely place, abounding in local artwork, including this beautiful skylight.

Outside the bounds of old town, the vibrant new town features exciting contemporary architecture.

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