Quito

Met our tour guide,Marcos, at 9 AM and visited the historic district of Quito, a world heritage site.  Visited several churches, Franciscan and Jesuit.  One was begun in 1533, just three years after Pizarro arrived, and took seventy years to complete. Visited a fair trade shop and purchased Ecuador chocolate that was wonderful.  After lunch we visited the museum of archeology and saw Ecuador artifacts and art from periods prior to the Incas through the Spanish occupation to the present.  The gold artifacts and other types of metal, silver, copper, etc. were beautiful and the different processes for their production was explained.  The earliest known metal work was found here.  Walked back to the hotel in the rain. Quito is at 9,000 feet and gets afternoon showers typical of the mountain regions.