Winged Virgin on the top of El Panecillo

Pam/ January 14, 2012/ Travel

Half the fun getting to the monument was the ride. The bus is huge, the roads narrow, so there can be some tricky maneuvering. There were great views of the densely packed housing that is Quito from the open air top of the bus. When I got off I told the driver her was “fantastico”!

The statue itself is 148 feet high and is at 9,840 so it is visible from many vantage points in the city, especially Old Town. It’s an enlarged copy of Bernardo de Lagarda’s “La Virgen de Quito” sculpture that’s on display on the alter of the San Francisco church in Old Town. The recommendation is to take a taxi up the hill. There’s a set of stairs but it would be quite a climb and there’s a history of muggings on the steps. This was another selling point for taking the hop on-hop off bus.

In addition to the statue, there’s a series of huts selling junk, some people playing music, an open air place to eat, and vantage points to take in the view.