El Quinche

Destino de Colores - Colorful destinations of Pichincha

• The colors of El Quinche are violets, yellows, and golds, colors that flood its incomparable sunsets.
• El Quinche, Aloasí,  Calacalí ,  Calderón ,  La Merced ,  Lloa ,  Mindo ,  Machachi ,  Pacto ,  Pedro Vicente Maldonado,  Pintag ,  Pomasqui  are part of the  Destino de Colores campaign, they are a select group of rural destinations of Pichincha province that offer to tourists a variety of tourism experiences oriented to contact with nature and culture; as well as sustainable and community tourism experiences.
• Prefectura de Pichincha, through the Destino de Colores campaign, promotes the entrepreneurial spirit of Pichincha people.

What should you know about El Quinche?

• El Quinche is located one hour from Quito and is part of the province of Pichincha.
• It is famous and known for its pilgrimage to the Virgen del Quinche. The sculpture of the Virgin Mary of El Quinche  is considered the most miraculous in the catholic tradition of the Northern Sierra of Ecuador.
• This small town has hotel infrastructure for tourists who wish to stay for several days.
• Baños de cajón (individual sauna wooden boxes) in La Victoria, the train line and its tunnels are places for relaxation and healing; as well as for hiking and biking.
• The word Quinche originates from the Mayan language ¨Cakchiquel¨, whose meaning is made up of two words; Quin means Sun and Chi means Mountain, as a result it is the sun mountain.
• El Quinche can be reached by two different routes: by Pifo  or by  Guayllabamba  (passing through the Quito zoo).
• The route through Pifo is shorter and takes an hour and a half, the buses leave from the north station of the Ecovía in Quito.
• El Quinche colors reflect the gold of the crown and the light blue of the cape of its patron saint, the Virgen del Quinche.

The Sanctuary of the Virgin of El Quinche

• The festivities in honor to the Virgen del Quinche are celebrated on November 21st. All the catholic devotees affectionately call her “la Pequeñita”.
• Some traditions say that at the end of the 16th century, the Virgin Mary appeared to some Indians in a cave and promised to free them from the bears that devoured people.
• It was Don Diego de Robles who carved the beautiful wooden sculpture of a Virgin Mary with the baby Jesus in her arms. Since those who hired him did not pay for his creation, Don Diego gave the sculpture to the Oyacachis Indians.

El tablón mountain

• El tablón mountain is an amazing natural formation, as it stands out from the environment due to a perfect geometric perspective.
• This beautiful colossus of living rock has in its interior an innumerable caves of all sizes and shapes that suggest niches, altars and large naves of prehistoric temples.

Popular Festivals of El Quinche

• February: Carnival festivities
• March 19: San José celebration
• April 05:  El Quinche celebration
• May 29:  El Quinche celebration
• June 24: San Juan celebration
• June 29: San Pedro celebration
• August 10: Commune festivities
• September 29: San Miguel festivities
• November 21: Pilgrimage to the Virgin of Quinche

Gastronomy of El Quinche

• Cuy, caldo de gallina criolla (chicken soup), arepas (authentic snacks from the community of La Esperanza).

History of El Quinche

• The historian González Suárez said that El Quinche was a prehistoric population whose organization was independent.
• It was a center of permanent vocation of APACHITA and HUACA which means place of prehistoric pilgrimages.
• This town was one of the main ceremonial centers for sun veneration, due to its temples and its privileged position.In the summer solstice, pilgrimages multiplied and the Inti Raymi festival are celebrated with great solemnity.
• With the Spanish conquest, the solstice festival was replaced by the festival of San Pedro  and El Quinche was baptized as San Pedro de El Quinche, thus ratifying its thousand-year-old solar tradition.
• In colonial times, El Quinche was chosen as home for the Virgin of Oyacachi.

Let's know about the  churches and temples of Ecuador  and the history of the  Balbanera church , the first church in the country.