Buena Suerte en el Centro Histórico

Sunday, we all took a tour of the historcal, colonial part of Quito. The buildings look like they came directly from Spain, built close to the road with balconies and plenty of decorative carving. The area is peppered with churches. The biggest, the Basilica, can be seen clearly from the top of the mountain and took 108 years to build. But inside, it is actually quite simple compared to the other churches. The San Francisco featured walls and cielings covered in gold leaf, statues, domes, and dramatic depictions of El Infierno. Actually, it reminded me a lot of the Hare Krishna temple I visited with DRU last year.

Native religions are subtly mixed into these churches. The San Francisco dome, for instance, is rimmed by a sun, an indigenous god. Three of the churches are positioned so that on the Summer equinox, the sun is aligned with the main window, illuminating the church. Mary is frequently painted in gigantic robes that give her the shape of a mountain. The gargoyles on the Basilica aren´t monsters--they are llamas, iguanas, penguins, boobys and condors.

It was beneath these gargoyles that we sat to enjoy our lunches. As I pulled my bag of sandwiches out (yes, multiple sandwiches) I felt something wet fall on me from some great height. Frozen for a moment, contemplating the possible implications of this event, I came to the conclusion that I REALLY hoped it was water. Unfortunately, it was caca from one of the pigeons enjoying a perch on a gargoyle. Supposedly, this is "buena suerte" (good luck). I think I´m set on though as far as sacred poop goes.