Map of Old Town Quito, Ecuador

[Coxhere]

My husband took me to a very nice restaurant and bar for lunch in Old Town Quito yesterday afternoon. It was a very nice dining experience. Towards the end of our meal, a member of the wait staff brought us a foldout brochure of interesting places to visit in the oldest part of the city where the restaurant and bar are also located. The Spanish conquistadores established their city here in 1534- - - -Quito will soon be celebrating its 500th anniversary- - - -although settlements had been here for centuries before the Spanish invasion and occupation. (Quito gained its independence from Spanish rule in 1822.) I thought some would find the map of Old Town Quito interesting.

 

[JayCee]

hmm.. 2nd attempt..? first post vanished? Ecuador, has always been a curiousity of mine to see someday? Believe they use the US dollar as a means of exchange? But most curious? Where is the "You Are Here " mark on the map.? ( j/k ) . Hope you got to have a fine meal ,with your husband . Btw : Soy Ustead Ex- Pat ? pardon my Spanglish please. Map does look alittle on the old side...? Thank you for sharing it .

 

[Judge]

Being interested particularly in cartography, your post compelled me to examine street maps of Quito just to see how much of the city appears to be laid out based on "magnetic north" as opposed to "true north".

Not surprising for a city so old, but still fascinating to see that the entire city seems to correlate to magnetic north.

 

[Coxhere]

hmm.. 2nd attempt..? first post vanished? Ecuador, has always been a curiousity of mine to see someday? Believe they use the US dollar as a means of exchange? But most curious? Where is the "You Are Here " mark on the map.? ( j/k ) . Hope you got to have a fine meal ,with your husband . Btw : Soy Ustead Ex- Pat ? pardon my Spanglish please. Map does look alittle on the old side...? Thank you for sharing it .

Yes, the Ecuadorian currency is the same as the currency in the U. S. There is no "You Are Here" on the map, but "You Are Here" is located on the far left side of the map and a little bit more than halfway down.

¿Es usted un ex-pat? Sí, ¡yo soy un ex-pat! Also, "by the way" in Spanish is "por cierto" (for certain). I have an Ecuadorian permanent residency visa. When I went to see about Ecuadorian citizenship, the External Affairs Officer told me that my Spanish wasn't fluent enough!

Ecuador is one of the, geographically, smaller countries in South America. Ecuador has four geographic zones. 1) Galápagos Islands; 2) Pacific Coast; 3) Andes Mountains; and 4) Amazon Rainforest. About 17,000,000 people live in Ecuador. It might be surprising to you, but many Ecuadorians have immigrated to the U. S.

What is it about Ecuador that piques your curiosity?

Thanks for your comments and questions about my adopted country, JayCee.​

 

[Coxhere]

Being interested particularly in cartography, your post compelled me to examine street maps of Quito just to see how much of the city appears to be laid out based on "magnetic north" as opposed to "true north".

Not surprising for a city so old, but still fascinating to see that the entire city seems to correlate to magnetic north.

The ancient peoples of Ecuador demonstrated scientific knowledge and practices in various areas, including agriculture, engineering, and astronomy. While they may not have had the same formal scientific structures as today, their sophisticated understanding of their environment and their ability to apply this knowledge to practical problems demonstrates a form of scientific thinking. In addition, Quito is located in a valley between higher Andes Mountains on the east and west sides of the city. I'd not thought of it before, but I now wonder if the Andes run in a direction towards the magnetic north. The elevation in the Quitoan "valley" is 9,350 feet. It is now the highest national capital in the world. La Paz, Bolivia used to be located at a higher elevation, but the Bolivian government moved down to Sucre.

Like you I like to study maps. As a little kid, I'd go around to the gas stations in my hometown and would collect as many different state road maps as I could find. They were free back then. I'd pour over them, spending hours being absorbed into what those roadmaps could teach me.

 

[Judge]

Oddly enough, the way the city of Quito spills out in the same direction reminds of another city as well.

-Birmingham Alabama. Where very few streets are true north. The most of the city even appears somewhat beyond the angle of magnetic north.

 

[Coxhere]

Oddly enough, the way the city of Quito spills out in the same direction reminds of another city as well.

-Birmingham Alabama. Where very few streets are true north. The most of the city even appears somewhat beyond the angle of magnetic north.

I remember maps of Birmingham, AL. It doesn't set in a direct path of N-E-S-W. I always thought that interesting.

I also thought more about whether the Andes Mountains might follow a magnetic north direction. I thought about tectonic plates that create mountains. Tectonic plates go all over the place! So they don't align with magnetic north. . . .

 

[JayCee]

Yes, the Ecuadorian currency is the same as the currency in the U. S. There is no "You Are Here" on the map, but "You Are Here" is located on the far left side of the map and a little bit more than halfway down.

¿Es usted un ex-pat? Sí, ¡yo soy un ex-pat! Also, "by the way" in Spanish is "por cierto" (for certain). I have an Ecuadorian permanent residency visa. When I went to see about Ecuadorian citizenship, the External Affairs Officer told me that my Spanish wasn't fluent enough!

Ecuador is one of the, geographically, smaller countries in South America. Ecuador has four geographic zones. 1) Galápagos Islands; 2) Pacific Coast; 3) Andes Mountains; and 4) Amazon Rainforest. About 17,000,000 people live in Ecuador. It might be surprising to you, but many Ecuadorians have immigrated to the U. S.

What is it about Ecuador that piques your curiosity?

Thanks for your comments and questions about my adopted country, JayCee.​

The Diversity of geography. And having spent years in Calif. and noticed that a Hispanic family ,I was around for years as family friends,were quite welcoming to me. Almost warmly and very human. And of course, for awhile , was a beach goer and became fond of the coastline and the waves.And over the years of my life. I also grew a great appreciation of the scenic and pictureque veiws in the mountains. And inspite of bugs, still enjoyed nature . For awhile ,thought Ecuador might be a way to escape the politics of the USA .

 

[Coxhere]

The Diversity of geography. And having spent years in Calif. and noticed that a Hispanic family ,I was around for years as family friends,were quite welcoming to me. Almost warmly and very human. And of course, for awhile , was a beach goer and became fond of the coastline and the waves.And over the years of my life. I also grew a great appreciation of the scenic and pictureque veiws in the mountains. And inspite of bugs, still enjoyed nature . For awhile ,thought Ecuador might be a way to escape the politics of the USA .

U. S. politics reaches pretty much everywhere. However, it reaches less so into Ecuadorian society and culture in South America. In many ways, Ecuador and South America don't register much in the international arena just as Africa also doesn't. But, in a way, this is a positive. Ecuadorians are mostly left alone and go about their lives, unimportantly, in the eyes of the rest of the world.

Here in Quito, at 9,350 feet into the Andes, there are few bugs. Plus, the wind helps keep flying pests at bay.

It sounds, from your post, that you would enjoy living here. I am not able to put into words how different the people are here when compared to people in the U. S. The bottom line here in Ecuador is NOT the dollar; it's the people, themselves. And, for me, this difference is actually breathable; it's in the air as well as in the people of this tiny, little jewel of a country.