Experience the Intangible Heritage of Quito, Ecuador

More than a dozen crafts show the warmest faces and voices of this Quito that evokes the nostalgia of past times. The Historic Center of Quito, besides being the main reason for the declaration of the First Cultural Heritage Site by UNESCO and to be considered the largest and best preserved of America, is a place where generations of men and women retain tradition through their crafts.

It is monumental yes, but it is also a place where the intangible heritage is maintained daily with a charm that makes this an ideal place for cultural tourism and visitors who enjoy walking and talking with various characters. When you arrive in Quito remember to visit these artisans:

The peanut snacks of Cruz Verde (Green Cross)

In a pan of 100 years, in a small shop in the neighborhood of San Roque, sugar, peanuts, essences and lemon are cooing. Patient, without despair, Luis Band rocks the ingredients in the heat of the grill and makes the peanuts in a sweet snack.

Heir to the technique of his father, Luis is the one who keeps alive the tradition of preparing this typical sweet from Quito that inspires and delights the senses with its aroma and flavor.

The secrets of herbs

Enma Lagla represents the fourth family generation that has the gift of identifying evil and deciphers their cures with herbs and flowers. In Santa Clara square, every day Mrs. Emma serves its customers with the best care and dedication.

Bad energies, evil eye, pains and nerves can be managed with the help of herbs. She distinguishes which herb is the right one, because she learned it from those who have known for centuries.



Santa Clara Square, between Cuenca and Benalcazar:

Carrion restorations

Rocío learned the craft from his father, Alfredo Carrión, who was known as "the miraculous hand." In the studio located in San Roque neighborhood, the technique to restore religious images has been practiced for 65 years.

But not only angels, saints and virgins regain its glory in the hands of this craftsman, but also those with scars or skin injuries come to conceal with the plaster of embodies.

Hats with history

Luz has known the craft since she was eight years old. Her husband, Segundo Ocaña, is a master craftsman in the making; together they produce over 70 styles of cloth hats.

Important characters of the city as the ex-president Velasco Ibarra and the famous Anita Bermeo, "the bullfighter" (a resident of the street wearing smart suits), showed off their creations. These hats are a great souvenir with style.

The ice creams of San Agustín

In 1895, the Ice Cream shop of San Agustin opened its doors in Quito and became a meeting place for bureaucrats, intellectuals and politicians.

One of the candies most tasted by customers was and is the pail ice cream. The juice of dried fruit, the ice, the bronze pail and the work of who beats the liquid until it becomes a creamy ice cream are essential for the production of this delicacy.

The hat of La Ronda

Luis Lopez is part of the third generation of his family hatters, which initiated in Quito in the 40’s. "Humacatama" or covered head is the name of his shop, located at La Ronda Street, where he elaborates this handmade the hats.

Don Luis also manufactures colonial period costumes. The visitor can show off and be photographed with them for a good memory of Quito.

The Pianos Clinic

Hubert Santacruz is considered to be a surgeon of antique pianos, the only ones left in town. His father, Hubert Santacruz, was a famous Ecuadorian pianist; reason why and in his honor, his son dedicated his life to the restoration of antique pianos at his shop in La Ronda.

There, he greets visitors with Ecuadorian melodies and interesting stories of his trade that have given " life again" to many old pianos.

The Sacred Robe

Sixty years of work entitles Rosalia Chilaguano to continue the tradition of her mother and grandmother: the making of sacral furnishings, embroidered and decorated with a sconces technique.

Rosalia’s designs keep alive the dressing tradition, with elegance and devotion, to children gods and other religious images that are typical in most Catholic homes.

From the Wood, a world

A skilled carpenter with a lathe can produce 200 different objects in wood, from tops and perinolas to drawing boards. Jorge Rivadeneira inherited the craft from his father, who more than a century ago, when Quito had no electric light, designed a wood lathe driven by human force.

This craftsman won the tops world championship and created 38 ways to make it dance.

The wool and yarn are limitless
To Yolanda Subía, weaving and embroidery are a family affair: she and her sister learned from her mother, who at 76 years old continues to guide their work and takes care that the new generation maintains the delicacy and beauty of the thread and wool garments.

She is capable of producing traditional pieces such as blouses decorated with floral wreaths, but also develops her own creations.

A Tin Drum

Humberto Silva has worked with tin for more than 56 years and maintains enthusiastically a trade that began during Colonial times. The art of shaping a metal was learned from his father and today at his shop in La Ronda, he has shelves full of figures such as pots and toys that tourists can take as a good memory of Quito. Silva's work shows that the traditional craft still lives in this area of the city.