Early History of Quito.--Its Splendor under the Incas.--Crushed by
Spain.--Dying now.--Situation.--Altitude.--Streets.--Buildings.
Quito is better known than Ecuador. Its primeval history, however, is
lost in obscurity. In the language of Prescott, "the mists of fable have
settled as darkly round its history as round that of any nation, ancient
or modern, in the Old World." Founded, nobody knows when, by the kings
of the Quitus, it was conquered about the year 1000 by a more civilized
race, the Cara nation, who added to it by conquest and alliance. The
fame of the region excited the cupidity of the Incas of Peru, and during
the reign of Cacha (1475), Huayna-Capac the Great moved his army from
Cuzco, and by the celebrated battle of Hatuntaqui, in which Cacha was
killed, Quito was added to the realm of the Incas. Huayna-Capac made
Quito his residence, and reigned there thirty-eight years--the most
brilliant epoch in the annals of the city. At his death his kingdom was
divided, one son, Atahuallpa,[18] reigning in Quito, and Huascar at
Cuzco. Civil war ensued, in which the latter was defeated, and
Atahuallpa was chosen Inca of the whole empire, 1532. During this war
Pizarro arrived at Tumbez. Every body knows what followed. Strangled at
Caxamarca, the body of Atahuallpa was carried to Quito, the city of his
birth, in compliance with his dying wish, and buried there with imposing
obsequies. Refounded by Benalcazar in 1534, Quito was created an
imperial city by Charles V. seven years later. It formed part of Peru
till 1710; then of Santa Fé till 1722; and again of Peru till its
independence. The power of Spain in South America was destroyed at the
battle of Ayacucho, Dec. 9, 1824. In 1830 Venezuela separated from
Colombia, and Ecuador followed the same year. The first Congress was
held in Riobamba; but Quito has ever since been the political focus. The
first president was General Flores.
[Footnote 18: The son of his Quito love. The name was first written
_Atauhuallpa_, meaning fortunate in war; after the fratricide, he was
called _Atahuallpa_, or game-cock. He was the Boabdil of this occidental
Granada. He is called traitor by Peruvian writers, and is not admitted
by them into the list of their Incas.]
Under the diadem of the Incas, Quito assumed a magnificence which it
never saw before and has not displayed since. It was the worthy
metropolis of a vast empire stretching from the equator to the desert of
Atacama, and walled in by the grandest group of mountains in the world.
On this lofty site, which amid the Alps would be buried in an avalanche
of snow, but within the tropics enjoys an eternal spring, palaces more
beautiful than the Alhambra were erected, glittering with the gold and
emerald of the Andes. But all this splendor passed away with the sceptre
of Atahuallpa. Where the pavilion of the Inca stood is now a gloomy
convent, and a wheat-field takes the place of the Temple of the Sun.
The colonial history of this favored spot is as lifeless as the history
of Sahara. Not a single event occurred of which even Spain can be proud;
not a monument was raised which reflects any credit upon the mother
country. Every thing was prescribed by law, and all law emanated from a
tribunal five thousand miles distant. There was no relation of private
life with which the government did not interfere: what the colonist
should plant and what trade he should follow; where he should buy and
where he should sell; how much he should import and export; and where
and when he should marry, were regulated by the "Council of the Indies"
and the Inquisition. In the words of a native writer, "The great
majority of the people knew nothing of sciences, events, or men. Their
religion consisted of outward observances, and an imperfect knowledge of
the papal bulls; their morality, in asceticism and devotion to their
king; their philosophy, in the subtleties of Aristotle; their history,
in the history of the mother country; their geography, in the maps of
Spanish America and of Spain; their press, in what sufficed to print
bill-heads and blank forms; their commerce, in an insignificant coasting
trade; their ambition and highest aspirations, in titles of nobility;
their amusements, in bull-fights. The arrival of a mail was an event of
great moment, and with ringing of bells was received the _cajon de
España_ which announced the health of the sovereigns. Thus, while Europe
was passing through the stormy times of Louis XIV.; while the
philosophical writings of the illustrious men of those times found their
way into the remotest corners of the globe; while the English colonies
of North America conquered their independence; while the Old World was
drenched in blood to propagate the ideas which the French Revolution had
proclaimed, the Presidency of Quito, walled in by its immense
cordilleras and the ocean, and ruled by monkish ignorance and bigotry,
knew as little of men and events as we now know of men and events in the
moon."[19]
[Footnote 19: _Geografia de la República del Ecuador, por Dr.
Villavicencio._ This work abounds with erroneous and exaggerated
statements, but it is nevertheless a valuable contribution to Ecuadorian
literature.]
From an iron despotism which existed for three centuries, Quito passed
to a state of unbridled licentiousness. Without any political experience
whatever, the people attempted to lay the foundation of a new system of
government and society. With head and hearts perverted by monkish
superstition and Spanish tyranny, yet set on fire by the French
Revolution, what did they know of liberty! Endless civil wars have
followed independence. "Political ambition," says a late United States
minister, "personal jealousies, impracticable theories, official
venality, reckless disregard of individual rights and legal obligations,
foolish meddling and empirical legislation, and an absolute want of
political morality, form the principal features of their republican
history."[20] To-day they tread on the dust of an ancient race whose
government was in every respect a most complete contrast to their own.
[Footnote 20: _Four Years among Spanish Americans, by Hon. F.
Hassaurek_: a truthful work, to which we refer the reader for details,
especially concerning Ecuadorian life and manners.]
At the foot of volcanic Pichincha, only five hours' travel from its
smoking crater, lies "the city above the clouds," "the navel of the
world," "magnificent Quito." On the north is the plain of Rumibamba, the
battle-field where Gonzalo Pizarro routed the first viceroy of Peru, and
the scene, two centuries later, of the nobler achievements of La
Condamine, which made it the classic ground of astronomy. On the
southern edge of the city rises Panecillo, reminding one of Mount Tabor
by its symmetrical form, and over-looking the beautiful and well-watered
plain of Turubamba. On the east flows the Rio Machángara, and just
beyond it stand the Puengasi hills hiding the Chillo valley, while the
weary sun goes early to rest behind the towering peaks of Pichincha. So
encircled is this sequestered spot, the traveler, approaching by the
Guayaquil road, sees only a part of it, and is disappointed; and even
when standing on Panecillo, with the entire city spread out before him,
he is not wholly satisfied. Buried between treeless, sombre sierras, and
isolated from the rest of the world by impassable roads and gigantic
Cordilleras, Quito appears to us of the commercial nineteenth century as
useless as the old feudal towns perched on the mountains of Middle
Europe. Not a chimney rises above the red-tiled roofs, telling of
homely hearths beneath. No busy hum greets the ear; there are bugles
instead of spindles, and jingling church bells in place of rattling
carriages. The wandering eye does not look for a railroad or a
telegraph, for even the highways, such as they are, seem deserted, and,
save the music made for soldiers and saints, all is silent. The very
mountains, too, with their snow-mantled heads, and their sides scarred
by volcanic eruptions and ruptured by earthquake shocks, have a
melancholy look. In the words of a great artist, "They look like a world
from which not only the human, but the spiritual presences had perished,
and the last of the archangels, building the great Andes for their
monuments, had laid themselves down to eternal rest, each in his
snow-white shroud."
But let us enter. Passing the ruined chapel "Del Señor del buen pasaje,"
and crossing by a substantial stone bridge the little Machángara
hastening to pay tribute to the Pacific, we leave behind us the dirty,
dilapidated suburbs of the capital. Soon we cross another bridge--the
Bridge of Buzzards--spanning a deep ravine, and gallop through the Plaza
de Santo Domingo. Very different are the sights and sounds from the stir
and style of Central Park. The scene has a semi-oriental cast--half
Indian, half Egyptian, as if this were the confluence of the Marañon and
Nile. Groups of men--not crowds, for there is plenty of elbow-room in
Ecuador--in gay ponchos stand chatting in front of little shops, or lean
against the wall to enjoy the sunshine; beggars in rags or sackcloth
stretch forth their leprous hands for charity; monks in white, and
canons in black, walk in the shade of immense hats; shoeless soldiers
saunter to and fro; Indians from the mountains in every variety of
costume cluster around heaps of vegetables for sale; women in red,
brown, and blue frocks are peddling oranges and alligator pears, or
bearing huge burdens on their heads; children, guiltless of clothing,
and obtuse donkeys, wander whithersoever they will; and water-carriers,
filling their jars at the fountain, start off on a dog-trot.
[Illustration: Quito, from the North.]
We cross the Plaza diagonally, pass down the Calle de San Fernando, up
the Calle del Algodon, and through the busy Calle del Correo, till we
reach the _Casa Frances_, opposite the mansion of the late General
Flores. This is our hotel--owned by a Frenchman, but kept by an Indian.
We ride under the low archway, bowing with ill grace, like all
republicans unaccustomed to royalty, tie our beasts in the court-yard,
ascend to our spacious quarters on the second floor, and, ordering
coffee, seat ourselves in the beautiful balcony to talk of Quito and
Quitonians.
[Illustration: Water-carriers.]
Quito, though not the highest city on the globe, is two thousand feet
higher than the Hospice of Great St. Bernard on the Alps, which is the
only permanent place of abode in Europe above six thousand five hundred
feet. When Mr. Hassaurek was appointed United States Minister to
Ecuador, he thanked Mr. Lincoln for conferring upon him the _highest_
gift in his power. The mean result of our numerous observations with
Green's standard barometer places the Grand Plaza nine thousand five
hundred and twenty feet above the sea, or fifty feet lower than the
calculation of Humboldt. Water boils at 194°.5. Cuzco and Potosi may
surpass it in altitude, but there is not a city in the world which can
show at once such a genial climate, such magnificent views, and such a
checkered history. It is unique likewise in its latitude, lying only
fifteen miles below the equator; no other capital comes within three
hundred miles of the equinoctial line.
[Illustration: Street in Quito.]
Whatever may have been the plan of Quito in the days of Huayna-Capac, it
is evident that the Spanish founders were guided more by the spurs of
Pichincha than by astronomy. The streets make an angle of forty-five
degrees with the meridian, so that not a single public building faces
any one of the four cardinal points of the compass. Two deep ravines
come down the mountain, and traverse the city from west to east. They
are mostly covered by arches, on which the houses rest; but where they
are open, they disclose as fit representatives of the place of torment
as the Valley of Hinnom. The outline of the city is as irregular as its
surface. It incloses one square mile. Twenty streets, all of them
straiter than the apostolic one in Damascus, cross one another very
nearly at right angles. None of them are too wide, and the walks are
painfully narrow; but, thanks to Garcia Moreno, they are well paved. The
inequality of the site, and its elevation above the Machángara, render
the drainage perfect.[21] The streets are dimly lighted by tallow
candles, every householder being obliged to hang out a lantern at 7
P.M., unless there is moonshine. The candles, however, usually expire
about ten o'clock. There are three "squares"--Plaza Mayor, Plaza de San
Francisco, and Plaza de Santo Domingo. The first is three hundred feet
square, and adorned with trees and flowers; the others are dusty and
unpaved, being used as market-places, where Indians and donkeys most do
congregate. All the plazas have fountains fed with pure water from
Pichincha.
[Footnote 21: The following quotation, however, is true to the letter,
and will apply equally well to Guayaquil and to Madrid--the mother of
them both: "There is another want still more embarrassing in Quito than
the want of hotels--it is the want of water-closets and privies, which
are not considered as necessary fixtures of private residences. Men,
women, and children, of all ages and colors, may be seen in the middle
of the street, in broad daylight, making privies of the most public
thoroughfares; and while thus engaged, they will stare into the faces of
passers-by with a shamelessness that beggars description."--_Hassaurek_.]
Few buildings can boast of architectural beauty, yet Quito looks
palatial to the traveler who has just emerged from the dense forest on
the coast, "crossing bridgeless rivers, floundering over bottomless
roads, and ascending and descending immense mountains." He is astonished
to find such elegant edifices and such a proud aristocracy in this lofty
lap of the Andes. The Indian habitations which girdle the city have no
more architectural pretensions than an Arab dwelling. They are low mud
hovels, the scene within and without of dirt and disorder.
As we approach the Grand Plaza, the centre of the city, the buildings
increase in size, style, and finish. The ordinary material is adobe, not
only because it is cheap, but also because it best resists earthquake
shocks. Fear of a _terremoto_ has likewise led to a massiveness in
construction which is slightly ludicrous when we see the poverty which
it protects; the walls are often two or three feet thick. The ground
floor is occupied by servants, whose rooms--small enough to be called
niches--surround the paved court-yard, which is entered from the street
by a broad doorway. Within this court is sometimes a fountain or
flower-plot. Around it are arches or pillars supporting a gallery, which
is the passage-way to the apartments of the second story. All the rooms
are floored with large square bricks. With few exceptions, the only
windows are folding glass doors leading to balconies overhanging the
pavement. The tiled roofs project far over into the street, and from
these project still farther uncouth water-spouts, such as used to be
seen in Rio Janeiro, but have now been banished to the antiquarian
museum. Only three or four private residences rise above two stories.
The shops are small affairs--akin to the cupboards of Damascene
merchants; half a dozen modern ladies can keep out any more customers.
The door serves as entrance, exit, window, and show-case. The finest
structures cluster around the plazas. Here are the public buildings,
some of them dating back to the times of Philip II. They are modeled
after the old Spanish style; there is scarcely a fragment of Gothic
architecture. They are built of large brick, or a dark volcanic stone
from Pichincha.
[Illustration: Palacio de Gobierno--Capitol.]
The Government House, which serves at once as "White House" and Capitol,
is an imposing edifice fronting the Grand Plaza, and adorned with a fine
colonnade. On its right rises the cathedral; on the left stands the
unpretending palace of the nuncio. The former would be called beautiful
were it kept in repair; it has a splendid marble porch, and a terrace
with carved stone balustrade. The view above was taken from this
terrace. The finest façade is presented by the old Jesuit church, which
has an elaborate front of porphyry. The Church of San Francisco, built
by the treasures of Atahuallpa, discovered by an Indian named Catuna, is
the richest. It is surmounted by two lofty towers, and the interior is a
perfect blaze of gilding. The monastery attached to it is one of the
largest in the world, but the greater part of it is in ruins, and one of
the wings is used as a barrack. Those unsightly, unadorned convents,
which cling to every church save the cathedral, have neutralized nearly
all architectural effect.